Algo viejo, algo nuevo, algo prestado

According to Robert Bresson, the only visible god in our world is money, which forms the central theme of Hernán Rosselli’s three films to date. Having previously examined the intrinsic falseness of all banknotes in MAURO, the director now turns his attention to a microscopic dissection of the profits obtained by illegal gambling, contrasted in turn with another obscene game: legal “betting” on transnational financial capitalism. Rosselli’s unique idea lies in the use of material filmed decades ago by the family that stars in this story, a fiction about how the (economic) system shapes the whole lives of those involved. The Felpetos exist in reality, although in the film they imagine themselves to be the owners of a gambling agency that operates on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. There are family disputes about this, as well as about an inheritance that remains undeclared for tax purposes and needs to be distributed, to say nothing of the worrying rumour that police controls will be intensified to stamp out illegal gambling. It’s painful to realise that all that matters is money, but it is paradoxically edifying to learn this via such a precisely constructed story, whose rigour is sustained by the masterful editing. (Roger Koza)

In the presence of Hernán Rosselli, Juan Segundo Alamos and Micaela Lauro.

Hernán Rosselli: MAURO (2014), CASA DEL TEATRO (2018)