Clorindo Testa

“This is not a film about my father”, says Mariano Llinás again and again in CLORINDO TESTA. But each repetition only proves the contrary: this film is indeed about his father, the artist, art critic, advertising editor, flâneur and renowned Buenos Aires intellectual Julio Llinás. The complex structure of this mockumentary has the mind behind LA FLOR pretend to make a film about Clorindo Testa using a book written about him by the filmmaker’s father, although his research into the work of the famous architect and painter ends up being nothing more than a diversion, a sleight of hand to disguise the project’s personal nature. Since Julio and Clorindo were not only well-known intellectuals but also good friends, Llinas’ film tries to understand their particular, often tense relationship, the political context in which they worked and the history of artistic movements in Argentina in the 20th century, tracing out a lineage that can also be applied to its national cinema. Through self-referential jokes, conversations with family members and quotes from the book, CLORINDO TESTA becomes a bittersweet comedy about the passing of time, the relationship between art and life, and a film about friendship, family and the fictions we invent to face our history. (Diego Lerer)

Mariano Llinás: BALNEARIOS (2002), HISTORIAS EXTRAORDINARIAS (2008), TRES FÁBULAS DE VILLA OCAMPO (2011, K), LA FLOR (2018)