By Diego Batley, from Mar del Plata
Rating
on 2023-11-05
The first feature film of this Italian director immerses himself in the world of bullfighting in Spain with uninspiring results.
/man (Spain, Italy, Mexico/2023). Director: Alessandro Bogno. Duration: 92 minutes.
Within three hours of each other, two world premieres took place in the Mar del Plata Hall: the somewhat daring Portuguese film OPPO (illuminated and stylized drama filmed in black and white) and this co-production marks the debut of Italian director Alessandro Bogno. They are two films that are very professional in their craft and boast even certain merits, but their choice for the international competition of a festival like Mar del Plata can only be understood by the (absurd and absurd) pressure of the International Federation of Asia-Pacific for the festival to maintain its category A (something that those of us in the world of cinema know is a rubber stamp without any tangible artistic benefit). In other words, by forcing programmers to choose films that have not previously been shown, there is a high risk of choosing from returns in the circle of festivals that have seen events such as Venice, Toronto, San Sebastian and New York in recent weeks. Let’s not be fooled: it is very difficult for the world premiere to reach Mar del Plata (except for some Argentine productions booked for the occasion) which can be a masterpiece or even a very good feature film. There are exceptions, of course, but they are rare, I would almost say miracles.
As part of the extraordinary harvest presented by the new (not new) Spanish cinema this year (many of these titles in other areas of the festival program), /man It looks like a traditional film and has been emphasized in its exploration of the contrasts and misery of the world of bullfighting and generational differences.
divided into seven parts (the last of which bears the title of the film), /man He tells the paths, of course, (a calf born in a bull farm for bullfighting) and a human (a young man who goes to a bullfighting school to become a professional bullfighter). The dynamic between teacher and student, between the specialist father, the manipulator, the authoritarian (who used to be the myth of the specialty) and the son who was forced to comply with a mandate that generates both horror and rejection, or friendship between the two young protagonists in their transition from adolescence to adulthood is done without much precision or depth. The result is a clear and predictable film that leads viewers where bulls are exposed to bullrings: without much nuance, on a predetermined path to a tragic destination.
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