The moment could not be more opportune. After premiering in Argentine cinemas in October 2023, Ma’amby Benjamín Naishtat and María Alché, is available streaming this Wednesday on the Amazon Prime Video platform.
Mrs It can be seen as a comedy, which it ultimately is, but also as a wake-up call about how values have been eroding away in Argentine society.
Or, at least, at the university in Buenos Aires.
Mrs A good part of its plot takes place precisely in the building on the street of the title, where the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the UBA is located. When a professor dies, a competition is opened to fill the chair, and everyone on the faculty believes that Marcelo Pena (Marcelo Subiotto), who was his disciple, should keep the place.
But not. The arrival of another professor with a career and experience in Europe, Rafael Sujarchuk (Leonardo Sbaraglia) will mean that both of them will have to compete for the position.
Rafael’s glibness, his charisma and also his personality seem like they will serve his purpose. But Marcelo Pena does not want the pain to consume him, and he will try in any way possible, and in honor of his guardian, to keep the position.
We talk about honor and it is a transcendental issue in the script of María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat, which was awarded as the best in the San Sebastián Festival competition. Marcelo’s passion, but also his egocentrism, the more or less ruthless struggle to obtain power, the desire to be and appear, are all elements that come together to speak, ultimately, about the lives of Argentinians.
The film is decidedly oriented towards comedy, a few minutes later with Marcelo getting his pants dirty with baby poop and trying to hide it in the presence of other teachers. The agility of the dialogues is also essential so that the development of the film does not feel stagnant at any moment, but rather adds up, adding layers and problems.
The reality of UBA teachers is not very different from that of any state employee, with the aggravating factor of the lack of funding mentioned in the film. And it is, of course, the performances of the protagonists and those who support them that go hand in hand with the benefits of the script.
The best actor
Marcelo Subiotto was also awarded in San Sebastián with the ex aequo award for best actor. The film pivots, revolves around him, and the performer, who has been paddling it in supporting and leading roles in film and theater, takes advantage of every moment and achieves what is called empathy with the viewers.
Leonardo Sbaraglia gives a share of freshness and even ambiguity to a role that he has already played in similar situations.
Both are accompanied by a mostly female cast, with the participation of Julieta Zylberberg, Mara Bestelli, Andrea Frigerio, Alejandra Flechner and Cristina Banegas and a special appearance by Lali Espósito, all within the framework of a comedy that may cause more to cry than to laugh.
Dramatic comedy Argentina / Brazil / Uruguay, 2023. 110′, ATP. Of: María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat. Con: Marcelo Subiotto, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Julieta Zylberberg, Mara Bestelli, Andrea Frigerio, Luis Ziembrowski, Cristina Banegas. Available in: Amazon Prime Video.