Customer Reviews

The Window

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was waiting for there to be a solid film like this showing the subtle ends to a distinguished life. A minimalist film all the way, right down to there being little to no dialogue for ten minutes at a time. The background sounds relayed some of the scenes eloquently, including the constant piano tuning, nature sounds, a grandfather clock and more.

We get to watch a heart attack survivor live out his recovery time at a beautiful country estate (filmed in the Patagonia region I believe). His restless wit is offset by the overbearing nursing staff, ambiguous family and beautiful solitude. Well filmed and very reminiscent of how I see things for me when those days arrive.

As usual for Film Movement, the DVD includes an excellent and relevant short film about similar emotions, some great previews and other company related materials. Subtle, yet beautiful, hope you enjoy it.

"The Window" proves the universal appeal of well-made movies. Carlos Sorín's story is set in Patagonia, yet the rolling ranch on which the aging patriarch lives could be a setting out of a Western in the American Plains. As Antonio, the patriarch, prepares for the return of his beloved son, this could be a character envisioned by Hemingway or Faulkner or John Ford.

What turns this into great cinema is that Sorín paints his story with his camera. There's a 10-minute segment in which the old man, who has been bedridden for a long time, suddenly feels such inspiration that he decides to walk through his gardens and fields once again. It's an almost wordless sequence, yet you won't move a muscle as it unfolds.

Watch how tantalizing memories and stories emerge as the big house is cleaned for the son's visit. And, toward the end of the film, watch how the father's vision paints scenes in the house--and how the son's vision paints similar scenes.

While the film may sound simple and the story may sound somber, you'll find a whole lot to discuss after it ends-exploring how the scenes from various perspectives merge and separate spiritually. "The Window" elevates the whole reflection on aging to a different, deeper level-pointing toward gifts within this universal journey.

This movie would be painfully slow for most US audiences. To me, it was a minute study of the uneventful.

This film is lovely-beyond words. In a way that evokes a quiet surrender to the prospect of death. The cast is fantastic in the way they each hit their mark to create a soothing melody of keen performances.

Actually, that's my take on the film, not what it was necessarily trying to say. Yes, it is a slow film. But then, I felt the slowness added to the savoring of the last day in this man's life. The deep appreciation of the little things that comprise a quality of life for each of us, as different as that may be.

I felt that it ended well; I like when a film leaves things to my imagination. And I also tend to favor shorter films that make their point in a succinct, powerful way.

No dialogue for long spells doesn't bother me at all. In fact, it allows me to stay inside the character's head in thinking those universal thoughts and feeling those feelings that one-day will visit us all.

Ah, yes, sweet mortality. Life is very short. Then we die. It's as simple as that. This film portrays it beautifully.

LA VENTANA (THE WINDOW) is a gentle masterpiece of cinema written and directed by Carlos Carlos Sorín . It is about living and dying and how, hopefully, we all can approach that last day on earth. Filmed in Argentina's Patagonia by cinematographer Julian Apezteguia with an emphasis on sunshine and landscape this little film humbly presents the final day of living of 80-year-old writer Antonio (Antonio Larreta) who has been confined to bed in his home after a heart attack (his warmly caring doctor advises him to be hospitalized, but Antonio seems to appreciate the futility of that move). He is attended by two women - María del Carmen (María del Carmen Jiménez) and Emilse (Emilse Roldán) - who prepare his meals and his medications and cut his hair and keep his old home clean. Antonio is frisky and more than anything wants to walk in his vegetable garden he watches through his bedside window. He calls upon a piano tuner to tune his ancient piano in preparation for the visit of his son Pablo (Jorge Díez), a famous concert pianist, who is due to arrive with his girlfriend Claudia (Carla Peterson) after a very long absence. Antonio finally decides to take a walk in his garden and his land, longing to once again feel a part of nature. He stumbles, is unable to get up, and is found by neighbors who bring him home. After seeing his son, and after recalling a repeated dream of the lovely woman who served as his nanny, Antonio simply goes to sleep, happy and serene.

There is no story to this beautiful film, Instead it is just a day in the life of a man who has lived a good life and accepts his dying with great dignity and happiness. Each of the actors in this elegy is perfect for the simple roles. But it is the performance by Antonio Larreta under Carlos Carlos Sorín's direction that makes this film soar, quietly and with profound respect for the art of living and of dying. It is a little masterpiece. Grady Harp, January 10