La Antena (Esteban Sapir, 2007)

[Cold Bishop]

Trailer

A dazzling homage to comic book science fiction and silent film, La Antena owes much to cinematic masters such as Fritz Lang, Luis Buñuel and Tim Burton, but has a fresh imagination all its own. In a surreal, fairytale world where a diabolical media magnate, Mr. TV, has stolen the citizens' voices, a fractured family must come together to stop him from stealing their words as well. Mixing live action and animation with both whimsy and sophisticated allegory, Saphir's magical tale offers an intelligent meditation on the power of the media to hypnotize and oppress the masses, a warning all too pertinent to the history of Argentina.

Trying to put together a game plan for the upcoming Portland International Film Festival, and this synopsis comes out of nowhere and has me intrigued. After seeing that trailer and finding a few review, this jumped near the top of my list next to Silent Night, Taxidermia, and You, the Living. Has anyone around these parts seen this film? Is my enthusiam just wishful thinking or is this as great as it looks?

[Cabiria21]

I saw it at the Chicago Int'l Film Festival and I thought it wasn't too great. The concept of a modern-day expressionistic film is great but the film runs out of steam real fast because the story is really half-assed and I found it idiotic rather than "full of whimsy and sophisiticated allegory". The breadth of the plot could be covered in the length of a music video. It's worth seeing, but I wouldn't prioritize it.

On the other hand, You the Living is GREAT. If Ploy or Secret Sunshine are playing at the festival, those would be well worth checking too.

[Cold Bishop]

If Ploy or Secret Sunshine are playing at the festival, those would be well worth checking too.

Neither are sadly. Secret Sunshine is especially a surprising omission. And could someone please move the thread to New Films. Sorry.