A Useful Life (2010)

A movie-theater employee adjusts to a new life after the cinema he worked at for over 25 years is forced to shut down.

Director:

Federico Veiroj

Writers:

Inés Bortagaray, Gonzalo Delgado

Stars:

Jorge Jellinek, Manuel Martinez Carril, Paola Venditto

8 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jorge Jellinek	...	Jorge
Manuel Martinez Carril	...	Martínez
Paola Venditto	...	Paola

Storyline

A movie-theater employee adjusts to a new life after the cinema he worked at for over 25 years is forced to shut down.

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Plot Keywords:

movie theater | cinema | montevideo uruguay | cinematheque | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Life's Whirlpool (1916)

User Reviews

poetry in renewal

Profused with South American melancholia, the setup for this short film is a club dedicated to 'classical' film, with radio lectures on Eisenstein and live, in-theater translations (into Spanish), of classics, Von Stroheim's 'Greed,' for example. With the demise of the club, after some 20 years, the somber yet not unattractive manager must face his own options. And, as he steps out, he creates his own film. The irony in the picture is expressed in an amazing 'spontaneous' lecture the manager gives to a classroom of law students, opportunistically posing as their substitute professor. He touches on the ubiquity of illusion and 'lying' in life-- 'reality' vrs. metaphor, or in this case, film. The character of the manager is no Astaire when he dances, and there's no Minnelli behind the camera, but we get the picture, and when he connects with the girl, he goes to the movies. A reference in the credits to Mark Twain as the inspiration for the work; the minimalist writing and direction stay focused, the editing is good and the film stays with you. Worth seeing.

Details

Country:

Uruguay Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

14 January 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Useful Life

Filming Locations:

Montevideo, Uruguay

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,525

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinekdoque, Mediapro, Versátil Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1