Los tallos amargos

Two men take a train in the night. One of them begins to reflect about the duo’s recent past, his own very personal dreams, doubts and failures and the circumstances that have linked him to the other man. The tale is subjective and fragmentary, includes a terrible murder and is challenged in the second half once a different point of view on the same events is added. The result is a film that constructs these two main characters as well as a deep sense of futility and despair. This is probably the Argentine film that captures noir motifs and style in their purest form. It was Ayala’s second feature and its cinematography (by Chilean master Ricardo Younis) has been named as one of the 100 best in film history by American Cinematographer magazine. The score was composed by famous Argentine musician Astor Piazzolla and is of particular importance because it includes some of the ideas that he would soon develop into his own, more innovative work.

Curated by Fernando Peña and Roger Koza.