Glue (2006)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Alexis Dos Santos

Writer:

Alexis Dos Santos (writer)

Release Date:

28 September 2006 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A Teenage Story In The Middle Of Nowhere

Plot:

"A teenage summer in a small town in the desert, a dysfunctional family, a rock band, a can full of glue...

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Patagonia | Rock Band | Father Son Relationship | Gay Kiss

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Nahuel Pérez Biscayart	...	Lucas
Nahuel Viale	...	Nacho
Inés Efron	...	Andrea
Verónica Llinás	...	Mecha
Héctor Díaz	...	Freddy
Florencia Braier	...	Flor
Sonia Stenico	...	La amante
Los Wamos Band	...	La banda
Jimena Prieto	...	Jimena
Griselda Ojeda	...	Doctora
Rodrigo Espinoza	...	Alumno Ingles
Flavio Alexis Saddi	...	Flavio
'Astor' Escobar	...	Astor
Ángela Odetto	...	Informativo
Mariana Dos Santos	...	Madre de Andrea

Also Known As:

Glue - Historia adolescente en medio de la nada (Argentina) (long title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Argentina | UK

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Patagonia, Argentina

Company:

Diablo Films

Trivia:

The film's script consisted of only a 17-page storyline and the majority of acting was improvised around the plot to deliver a certain level of authenticity and youthful awkwardness.

Quotes:

Andrea: [crying] Yesterday I went for a walk to the lake. And I was thinking that the world is huge. And that human nature, the Big Bang when it all exploded, it brought tons of things: the lakes, the mountains, all the animals. And it also brought human beings -
[laughs]
Andrea: I sound like a school book - but human beings are much more complex. While a tree is just a tree, a person is something more locked off. It's like we're stuck inside the soap opera of life. And we have to live, we don't have a choice. But we're not capable of seeing the world for what it is. And see that we're all here
[...]

Cinematic glass of water set in the sweltering deserts of Patagonia

I saw this film as it premiered at the Rotterdam Festival. It is a beautifully judged rendering of a teenager's dysfunctional life at home and sexual experimentation with friends. Every scene is perfectly pitched and rife with playful directorial invention such as the main character's (Lucas?) idle toying with the 'monkey with banana' toy in the girl's bedroom and the 'open/closed' game and his mother's English lesson earlier - there are many examples. The direction of the subject matter is fresh, sensitive, mature and never contrived, indulgent or heavy handed. The camera work is some of the best DV work I've ever seen, artful, free, fluid and instinctive.

Most impressive is how every role is perfectly cast, particularly the teenagers (although I may have had initial reservations about the father, I was sufficiently convinced by the end). The central character is realised by a soulful performance from the beautiful quirky looking actor. He has the most subtly expressive face, at once mischievous and vulnerable.

It is a fine fearless debut brimming with talent, good taste and a big beating heart that transcends it's meagre budget.