shariqmahbub

Bravura film-making that captures the dread, labyrinthine pathways and uncertainties of truth among the corridors of elite political, military and economic power in early 1980s Argentina, where disappearances of the opposition were picking up steam.

The script unfolds in labyrinthine circles as well, where the true character of the main protagonists, as well, is unknown and will be unveiled.

Yvan de Wiel, the effete, blank Swiss replacement private banker for his more extroverted colleague, Keys, who has suddenly vanished, seems initially overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation he is dealing with amongst the competing elites of Argentina; yet his wife, Ines, observer, confidant and savvy advisor, who tells Yvan at one point that his father was right that his fear is making him simply mediocre, advises him, once they have met many factions, and put together many pieces of scattered information, to go "Azor", to be quiet, to look the other way.

This might be what keeps Yvan on top and helps him to avoid the unknown fate of his predecessor, Keys, as he traverses the sinuous river in the last act of the movie to a finale of "Lazaro" to the "Heart of Darkness" in this visual and literary reference to Conrad and "Apocalypse Now".

May all political acts of kidnapping, disappearance and violence be healed upon our planet - may we move to a world of grater understanding and peace, even though some continue to use "Azor" to survive and thrive.

This movie will probably grow in cult status as the perfect Indian gay rom-com. From perfect beats from longing and insecurity, to meeting the one, to dealing with the rigidities of South Asian culture in a humorous, compassionate, and yet authentic way this movie has touched my heart. The two gay leads are fantastic. And the family is perfectly cast, including the angry face of the jealous sister! This movie is the fantasy of many gay men - to be loved, to be accepted, and to be celebrated just as we are. Add to this the poignancy of Indian and Pakistani men who deal with cultural prejudice to homosexuality, which is addressed and silenced directly in this movie, and you have a rom-com standout. Go see it. It will touch your heart, no matter what your sexuality or ethnicity is. 💚

At first I dismissed this movie, with its repetitive capturing of the spectacle of a Spanish bullfight, where the bull is already injured and certain to be killed in a brutal way. The documentary focuses on the hunter and the hunted, the dance of mortality and winner and loser. While the stadium audience cheers off-camera. The set-up reminded me of movies of Ancient Rome, like Gladiator, where the those who are about to die are thrown to the lions, the lions having the advantage, like the bullfighters here, and the stadium audience sitting in glee, and thrill as to whose blood will be spilled. We, the cinema audience, are also lulled into this dance of death, and the animal grunts (bull and matador), the posturing and angling (bull and matador), the aggression and intimacy of a fight to the death are repeated in various arenas and it is hypnotic. You don't want the matador to be injured, and yet he takes such risks.

So, I said that I almost dismissed this film, but as I have been thinking about it since, I feel Serra has captured very important themes in this very focused matador film. He captures the bravado and judgment and hubris of the hunter (the matador), where the opponent is "bad" and deserves to be killed. Take this male aggression out of the bull-fighting arena and you will see it all around the world, and it is cheered on when it is seen in leaders who belittle the "bad" guy or teach them a lesson. You might say that the animalistic side of human nature that wants blood, revenge and wants to take a victory lap and be applauded for such is captured.

The matador believe he is incredibly courageous ("you've got balls bigger than this stadium"), and his worth comes from this dance of death. I do not support and encourage aggression or bullying, so this was an insight into an atavism of male aggression that is celebrated in Spain in the bullfighting arena, and is perhaps representative of the bloody history of the country as well (the inquisition, the conquistadors killing many in the Americas in the name of their King and God). So, indirectly, Serra might be showing us a part of the soul of Spain and its still preserved rituals based on violence and aggression that are still celebrated.