The Summit

Wow my very first title review and the first review too! The film is the third work by Argentinian director Santiago Miter. The political thriller talks about a meeting of South American government leaders in a hotel in Andes (cordillera). The presidents meet in a secured place to conclude a new alliance of oil-producing countries.

As the main figure will be the Argentinean President Hernán Blanco presented. His name (in Spanish white) indicates his purity, which he also used in the election campaign. Right from the beginning, this purity is shattered as he learns that his soon-to-be ex-son-in-law intends to make information public about machinations in financing his election campaign. The daughter has been in a psychiatric treatment since some time. In the light of her husband's last plans, caring father lets his daughter to be brought to the summit hotel. The unhealed traces gain the upper hand over her there, and she gets entangled. The father lets a renowned psychiatrist brought into the hotel to help her quickly. The doctor proposes to treat the daughter by hypnosis. However, he will not be allowed to treat the patient alone. So learns the president from the room next door, as the daughter tells a disastrous story in the hypnosis. The surprised president informs the doctor that the story happened before daughter's birth. Another shadow clouds over the president and the ominous history from the past urges the president to let the further treatment be abrupted. So the psychiatrist may not even say good bye to his patient.

The president is being succumbed to political action and has to cope with it in his favor and in favor of his country while dealing parallel with personal issues from the past and the present. At this point the movie slows with the tension and deals bit too much with father-daughter relationship.

So to avoid spoilers have a look yourself. It is not as breathtaking movie as views of Andes there, but still worth to see.

This is one of the most boring movies ever made, i never made reviews of bad movies, but this one was soooo slow, and sooo boring that never feel too drama or too political. Tried to be twin peaks with politics, but is boring.only works if u want to sleep faster than ever.

I really liked La Cordillera (The summit). Political thriller is not the most usual subject in Argentina's filming. Just for this, this deserves a lot of recognition. The script is intense, very touching. Maybe some viewers will feel as if there were some minutes missing...but whenever you think about the film, this grows. I enjoyed the director so much...the "Cordillera de los Andes" that gives the film a name...is a silent Main protagonist. Beautiful, fascinating, incredible. In the middle of nowhere, some crucial meeting among south American presidents is being held. Darin is superb as usual, as the Argentina's President. for the reluctant, I suggest you to give The Summit a chance.

This was one of those movies I have to read a lot after watching to try and figure out what happened. Some times, you miss little things while watching and one and the other and another person see little details and between all of them you form your opinion about what you've just seen. The "open ending" was quite confusing for me, but after reading different opinions and points of view I realised the movie is about the main character, Hernán Blanco, and nothing else. Everything points to show how and what he is. Everything that happens is about him, and after the movie ends, you will know what he is. The thing is, it looked like there was something bigger going on, and I lost focus on the character, thinking that some twist was going to happen any time. I do appreciate how good is the cinematography, the acting and the music on this movie, everyone does a great job on their roles, and there's a very well accomplished atmosphere of mystery from beginning to end, but it was a bit messy and inconsistent in what it was pointing at, and made me expect something else. Or maybe not messy, but a lot of little details that will make sense and add up better when you finished the movie and understood what was about. Maybe a second watch would be good. Still, besides it was somehow disappointing, is a quality film in many aspects and I did enjoy watching it.

Every year at least during the last decade, Argentinian cinema comes up with a single film that is superlative in many ways. Just back to 2014 we had Relatos Salvajes (Wild tales, Foreign film Academy Award nominee), The Clan (2015, this one to a lesser extent), El ciudadano ilustre (The distinguished citizen, 2016), and this year La cordillera, by Santiago Mitre. Mitre, still really young, is on his path to claim his spot beside the greatest contemporary Argentinian filmmakers such as Juan Jose Campanella and Damian Szifron.

This was Mitre's first super-production and he succeeded in coming up with something absolutely ambitious. The fact of the film's scale, it's remarkable cast (best national actors by far- Ricardo Darin, Erica Rivas, Gerardo Romano- and great foreign ones- Christian Slater, Elena Anaya) made it highly expected by the big commercial audience, but Mitre has surprised everyone with something so big in it's universal themes (power, greed, corruption) but yet subtle, full of metaphors

and without a closure to the story, which is what the average cinema goer expects. Hence the mixed reviews, popular reaction and the widely spread notion that the film stays half way or that's slow and boring. It can be a really uncomfortable film for some people, it makes one think and in general people go to the cinema just for entertainment.

The pace of the film it's perfect. Neither too slow nor to fast, it allows one to keep thinking about what's there or what's not. I guess it's more enjoyable if someone has interest and knowledge in politics but as I said above what really matters is the universality of the themes that are dealt with throughout the movie.

The only weakness I can find is the inclusion of President Blanco's daughter played by Dolores Fonzi. Even though then I realised this was merely with the purpose of exploring more in depth Blanco's personality and morality, I hardly find Dolores Fonzi credible (I can only recall 2013 "El critico" as an exception). In the long run and after figuring out the reason of her inclusion it didn't really matter. Everyone who's more thoughtful than the average can have a different interpretation of the events or possible outcomes.

It blew my mind.