Not all foreign films find romance on the screen and this is the case of Sidewalls. Now on DVD the movie tends to be too intellectual rather than affectionate. I’m sure writer/director Gustavo Taretto had a more romantic comedy mission for his film, but Sidewalls just doesn’t suit my taste.
The premise of the story involves Martin (Javier Drolas) and Mariana (Pilar Lopez de Ayala) who live in the same apartment complex in Buenos Aires totally unaware of each other. They are both looking for love but their paths in life are not getting them anywhere in that department. Trying to end their loneliness they make attempts at meeting good partners.
The film separates the two showing their daily travels around the big city while Director Taretto gives his audience the dime tour especially pointing out the differences in the architecture in what he calls urban chaos. In this respect I did like the film because of his attention to detail that in a way resembles the lives of his main characters. But he takes too long with the scenic tour and keeps Martin and Mariana apart too long for any romance.
Taretto does provide some levity to the situations Martin and Mariana put themselves from day to day and that’s a good thing. However, I would have liked to see more occasions where they had an opportunity to meet, yet gets foiled by the circumstances. I see what Taretto was trying to do here; in fact it’s intentionally predictable so the audience can like the two characters for their romantic misadventures in order to find each other’s love. But, it just didn’t work for me.
Sidewalls is unrated but contains adult situations and language. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles.
Technically I loved the clarity, color and sound projected on my home entertainment center. The subtitles are easy to read and the views of the city are amazing in widescreen.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Not my cup of tea, but a good study in relationships.[rating=2]
The Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Javier Drolas and Pilar Lopez de Ayala
- Directed by: Gustavo Taretto
- MPAA Rating: Unrated
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Running Time: 1 hr 34 min
- Street Date: Now available
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
