''25 Watts'' is a 2001

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple co ...

film directed and written by

Juan Pablo Rebella Juan Pablo Rebella (born 1974, in Montevideo – died July 5, 2006) was an Uruguayan film director and screenwriter. Biography He attended the Catholic University of Uruguay where he studied social communication. In 2004 Rebella and Stoll ...

and

Pablo Stoll Pablo Stoll (born 1974) is a Uruguayan film director and screenwriter. He attended the Catholic University of Uruguay where he studied Social communication, it was here that he started to direct short films and his collaboration with fellow stude ...

. The

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

picture stars

Daniel Hendler Daniel Hendler (born 3 January 1976) is a Uruguayan film, television, and theatre actor who works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, where he lives. He is known for his starring roles in films such as ''Bottom of the Sea'', ''Family Law'', ''The ...

, Jorge Temponi, and Alfonso Tort. The film received a total of ten awards and three additional nominations, including Best Feature Film Award at the

Rotterdam International Film Festival The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

, Best First Feature Film Award at the

Havana Film Festival The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Latin American filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as ''Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana,'' and in English as International Festiva ...

, and others.

Plot

The film covers 24 hours in the life of three youths in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. The story is about three young boys, Leche, Javi and Seba, trying to survive until Sunday. They have a lot of problems regarding studies, girls, and their lives consist mostly of drinking or sleeping or meeting strange people like the crazy delivery boy, a retarded

drug addict Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

, and a

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

counter clerk at a video rental store. Javi has landed a job driving a sound truck that plays the same radio spot for pasta all day long, while his buddy Leche, who is supposed to be studying for his exams, instead finds himself having

sexual fantasies A sexual fantasy or erotic fantasy is a mental image or pattern of thought that stirs a person's Human sexuality, sexuality and can create or enhance sexual arousal. A sexual Fantasy (psychology), fantasy can be created by the person's imaginati ...

about his

tutor TUTOR, also known as PLATO Author Language, is a programming language developed for use on the PLATO system at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign beginning in roughly 1965. TUTOR was initially designed by Paul Tenczar for use in co ...

, and Seba is waylaid by a handful of small-time dope dealers when all he wants to do is go home and watch the porno movie he's just rented.

Cast

as Leche * Jorge Temponi as Javi * Alfonso Tort as Seba * Valentín Rivero as Hernán, a blond friend * Walter Reyno as Don Héctor, Javi's boss * Damián Barrera as Joselo, Héctor's son * César Herrera as Neighbor in elevator * Judith Anaya as Leche's grandmother *

Federico Veiroj Federico Veiroj (born 1976 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. Veiroj studied Communications at the UCUDAL. Two of his films have been List of Uruguayan submissions for the Academy Award for Best Interna ...

as Gerardito * Valeria Mendieta as María * Silvio Sielsky as Pitufo, the Guinness records freak * Claudio Martínez as Kiwi, young man with ball * Teresita González as Neighbor with chair * Roberto Suárez as Gepetto, the pizza man * Gonzalo Eyherabide as Sandía, the video club owner * Robert More as Rulo, a junkie * Carolina Presno as Beatriz * Nacho Mendy as Chopo, Rulo's friend * Leo Trincabelli as Menchaca, Rulo's friend * Luis Villasante as Waiter * Marcelo Ramón as Bouncer * Daniel Mella as Lalo, Beatriz' boyfriend

Exhibition

The film first previewed at the

in the Netherlands on January 28, 2001 but was not released fully in Uruguay until June 1. The picture was screened at various film festivals, including: the Karlovy Vary Film Festiva, Czech Republic; the Helsinki International Film Festival, Finland; the Warsaw Film Festival, Poland; the Medellín de Película, Colombia; the Latin America Film Festival, Poland; and others.

Critical reception

Deborah Young, film critic for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine and reporting from the

Rotterdam Film Festival The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

, gave the film a mixed review and wrote, "A rare offering from Uruguay, ''25 Watts'' dully portrays the dim lives of three teenage boys in a sleepy Montevideo neighborhood. With no story to tell, tyro co-directors Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll place far too much faith in hang-dog,

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...

-style humor, emphasized by repetitious dialog, flat B&W lensing, and limited sets. Pic—which won one of the three Tiger Awards and the Youth Jury Prize at Rotterdam—lacks the spark of inspiration that would make this formula work, and most viewers are likely to run for cover well before the end."Young, Deborah
''Variety'', film review, March 12, 2001. Last accessed: February 17, 2008.

Awards

Wins * Uruguayan Film Critics Association: UFCA Award, Best Uruguayan Film; 2001. *

Bogotá Film Festival The Bogotá Film Festival ( es, Festival de Cine de Bogotá) is an annual international film festival held in Bogotá, Colombia, inaugurated in 1984. It takes place in late October each year, with most films being in Spanish and very few in Engl ...

: Honorable Mention, Juan Pablo Rebella; For focusing on the daily problems of today's youth; 2001. *

Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema The Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI, es, Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente) is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the month of April, in the city of ...

: Best Actor, Daniel Hendler, Jorge Temponi and Alfonso Tort;

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

Prize, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll; For injecting humor, visual energy and delightful dialogue into the 'Slacker' movie formula; 2001. * Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival, Spain: Audience Award, Feature Film, Pablo Stoll and Juan Pablo Rebella; Special Mention, Feature Film, Pablo Stoll and Juan Pablo Rebella; 2001. *

: Coral, Best First Work, Pablo Stoll and Juan Pablo Rebella; 2001. * Lima Latin American Film Festival: Best Screenplay, Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll; 2001. *

: MovieZone Award, Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll; Tiger Award, Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll; 2001. Nominations * Bogotá Film Festival: Golden Precolumbian Circle, Best Film, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll; 2001. * Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema: Best Film, Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll; 2001. *

Gramado Film Festival The Gramado Film Festival ( pt, Festival de Gramado) is an international film festival held annually in the Brazilian city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, since 1973. In 1992, the festival began to award Latin American films produced outside of Br ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

: Golden Kikito, Latin Film Competition - Best Film, Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll; 2001.

References

External links

*
''25 Watts''
film review at ''

La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal '' Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argentina. Its motto is: "''La Nac ...

'' by Fernando López * {{YouTube, yLH7eg7iF6o, ''25 Watts'' film trailer 2001 films 2001 comedy-drama films Films directed by Juan Pablo Rebella Films directed by Pablo Stoll Films set in Montevideo Films shot in Montevideo Uruguayan independent films 2000s Spanish-language films 2001 directorial debut films 2001 independent films Uruguayan comedy-drama films Spanish-language comedy-drama films