''Americano'' is a 2011 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written and directed by Mathieu Demy. Demy also stars alongside

Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress. She is the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of eight children with his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill. After beginnings in dance and modeling, she turned her attention to act ...

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...

and Chiara Mastroianni. Demy's mother, Agnès Varda, who was also a filmmaker, served as a producer on the project. The film received its première at the

2011 Toronto International Film Festival The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011. Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening film ...

on 8 September 2011 and later that month, was also screened at the

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...

, where it competed for the Kutxa-New Directors Award. In October it was played at the 55th BFI London Film Festival.

Plot

In Paris, the relationship between Martin (Demy) and Claire (Mastroianni) is at an impasse. His mother's death suddenly calls Martin back to Los Angeles, the town where he spent his childhood, to deal with inheritance formalities. In Los Angeles he is helped by a family friend, Linda, who takes him to his mother's home and the neighbourhood he grew up in. This return to childhood haunts provokes several buried memories that appear to disturb Martin. After speaking with a neighbour, Martin goes to

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

in Mexico, looking for Lola (Hayek), a close friend of his mother's. He tracks her down to the Americano, a club where Lola works as a dancer. However, to find resolution, Martin must face up to his past.http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/2011/09/07/exclusive_first_footage_new_pics_from_tiff_entry_americano_starring_salma_h/

Cast

* Mathieu Demy as Martin *

as Lola *

as Linda * Chiara Mastroianni as Claire *

Carlos Bardem Carlos Encinas Bardem (born 7 March 1963) is a Spanish actor and writer. He is often cast in tough guy roles, if not outright villains. Biography Born in Madrid on 7 March 1963, he is the son of actress Pilar Bardem and brother of actors Mó ...

as Luis *

Jean-Pierre Mocky Jean-Pierre Mocky (6 July 1929 – 8 August 2019), pseudonym of Jean-Paul Adam Mokiejewski, was a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Mocky was born in Nice, France to Polish immigrant parents, Jeanne Zylinska ...

as Father * André Wilms : German

Notes

The memory scenes of Martin's childhood in Los Angeles are derived from Demy's mother, Agnès Varda's 1981 film ''Documenteur'', in which Demy appeared as a child.

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, americano_2011 2011 films 2010s French-language films 2010s Spanish-language films French drama films 2011 drama films Films shot in Paris Films shot in Mexico Films shot in Los Angeles English-language French films Spanish-language French films 2010s English-language films 2011 multilingual films French multilingual films 2010s French films