''Historias mínimas'' ( en, Minimal Stories; released internationally as ''Intimate Stories'') is a 2002
Argentine drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
Carlos Sorín and written by Pablo Solarz. The film was produced by Martin Bardi, Leticia Cristi, and José María Morales. It features, among others, Javier Lombardo, Antonio Benedicti and Javiera Bravo.
This road movie chronicles three individual yet intertwined stories of ordinary people striving to follow their dreams in life. The picture unfolds in the southern Argentine region of
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
, and it was filmed in the
Santa Cruz Province,
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
. The film captures many small details that make a realistic and moving depiction of life in southern Argentina.
Synopsis
The story follows three different persons travelling the Argentine Patagonia. The first is Don Justo, an elderly man who hands over the running of his
grocery store
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...
to his overbearing son and daughter-in-law and escapes to search for his lost dog, named Badface. The second, Roberto, is a love-struck
obsessive-compulsive traveling salesman who drives to San Julián, to surprise one of his clients by bringing a cake for her child's birthday. Finally, María Flores is a lower class woman who travels to San Julián with her daughter because she has won a spot on "Multicoloured Casino", a fusty TV game show.
Cast
* Javier Lombardo as Roberto
* Antonio Benedicti as Don Justo Benedictis
* Javiera Bravo as María Flores
*
Julia Solomonoff as Julia
* Laura Vagnoni as Estela
* Enrique Otranto as Carlos
* Mariela Díaz as María's friend
* María Rosa Cianferoni as Ana
* María del Carmen Jiménez as Female Baker
* César García as García
* Armando Grimaldi as El mesero
* Mario Splanguño as Panadero
* Rosa Valsecchi as Panadera #2
* Aníbal Maldonado as Fermín
Production
Casting
In a
neo-realist fashion, the film director used mostly non-professional actors; the only professional actor was Javier Lombardo (Roberto).
Distribution
The film was first presented at the
Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival,
Spain
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, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
on September 26, 2002, and was released in Argentina on October 24, 2002.
It was featured at various film festivals, including the
International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Latin America Film Festival,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
; the
Karlovy Vary Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
; the
Copenhagen International Film Festival,
Denmark
)
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, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
; the
Bergen International Film Festival
The Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF) is a film festival held annually in October in Bergen, Norway since 2000, and is the largest film festival in the nation in number of films. The festival celebrated its 20th edition in 2019, featuring ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
; the Spanish Film Festival,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
;
Havana Film Festival
The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Latin American filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as ''Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana,'' and in English as International Festiva ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
; the
Cartagena Film Festival
The Cartagena Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias), or FICCI, is a film festival held in Cartagena, Colombia, which focuses mainly on the promotion of Colombian television series, Latin American films and short ...
,
Colombia; the
Festróia - Tróia International Film Festival,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
; the Fribourg International Film Festival,
Switzerland; the
Tromsø International Film Festival
The Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF) is an annual film festival held during the third week of January in Tromsø, Norway.
The inaugural Tromsø International Film Festival was held in 1991. TIFF has 5 screening venues, including one ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, and the Uruguay International Film Festival,
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
.
In the United States it was shown at the
Sundance Film Festival in January, 2003, then released in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
on March 4, 2005.
Critical reception
Tom Dawson, film critic for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
wrote, "Patagonian landscapes with the modesty of his characters' aspirations, Sorín has crafted an appealing portrait of this remote region, where television provides the inhabitants with their main link to the wider world. Convincingly acted by the mainly non-professional cast, ''Historias mínimas'' is further proof of the diversity and strength of contemporary Argentine cinema."
Ed Gonzales, a critic for ''
,'' liked Carlos Sorín's directorial work, and the film reminded him of some well-regarded
directors: "It's the film's crisscrossing narrative and sense of community that brings to mind
,'' but the pursuit of enlightenment and the poetic texture of Sorín's images similarly evokes
.'' Quiet and unpretentious, the film's humanism isn't confrontational exactly but it's intense nonetheless."