''Tangos Are for Two'' ( es, Sus ojos se cerraron y el mundo sigue andando, links=no, lit=Their Eyes Closed and the World Goes On) is a 1998 Spanish-Argentine drama film directed by

Jaime Chávarri Jaime Chávarri (born 20 March 1943) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter, best known for his films ''El desencanto'' and ''Bicycles Are for the Summer, Las bicicletas son para el verano''. Life and career Chávarri comes from a prom ...

which stars

Darío Grandinetti Darío Alejandro Grandinetti (born March 5, 1959) is an Argentine actor. He is known for his numerous roles in television, theater and film, where he participated in films by renowned directors such as Alejandro Doria, Pedro Almodóvar and Dami ...

Aitana Sánchez-Gijón Aitana Sánchez-Gijón de Angelis (born 5 November 1968) is a Spanish-Italian film actress. Biography She was born in Rome on 5 November 1968, to a Spanish father , a history lecturer exiled from Francoism, and an Italian mother, Fiorella d ...

and

Juan Echanove Juan Echanove Labanda (born 1 April 1961, in Madrid) is a Spanish actor. At Gijón International Film Festival in 2002, he received the Nacho Martínez Award. Selected filmography *'' Manolete'' ( Menno Meyjes, 2008) *''Alatriste'' (Agustín ...

Plot

A Spanish couturier immigrates to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

in the 1930s seeking to meet

Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inte ...

. There she meets Renzo, a

look-alike A look-alike, double, or doppelgänger is a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another person, excluding cases like twins and other instances of family resemblance. Some look-alikes have been notable individuals in their own right, ...

of the latter.

Cast

Production

A Spanish-Argentine co-production the film was produced by Rocabruno, Aurum Producciones and

Patagonik Film Group Patagonik Film Group is an Argentine production company, dedicated to the making of feature films and film production services. A part of the Clarín Group, Patagonik Film Group also assists in the production of international films that want to f ...

. The screenplay was penned by Raúl Brambilla, Óscar Plasencia whereas

Rodolfo Mederos Rodolfo Mederos (born March 25, 1940) is an Argentine bandoneonist, composer and arranger. He lived in Cuba and France; in Argentina, he founded the experimental group Generación Cero. Early life Mederos was born in the Constitución neig ...

, and Daniel Berardi were responsible for the music. took over cinematography duties.

Release

The film was theatrically released in Spain on 23 January 1998.

Reception

Augusto Martínez Torres of ''

El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...

'' deemed the film to be an "excellent musical" whose "great appeal lies in the skill with which Chávarri has managed to integrate 14 tangos into an intense and dramatic love" story. The review in ''

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 ...

'' assessed the film to be "very good", considering that the director "masterfully handled this kind of complicit fable" (...) "springing from simple everyday things".

Accolades

, - , rowspan = "2" align = "center" , 1999 , , rowspan = "2" , 47th

Silver Condor Award The Argentine Film Critics Association ( es, Asociación de Cronistas Cinematográficos de la Argentina) is an organization of Argentine-based journalists and correspondents. The association presents the ''Silver Condor Awards'' (''Premios Cóndor ...

s , , Best Actor , , Darío Grandinetti , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - ,

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

, , Oscar Plasencia, Raúl Brambilla , ,

References

{{authority control Spanish drama films Argentine drama films 1998 drama films 1998 films 1990s musical drama films 1990s Spanish-language films Films directed by Jaime Chávarri 1990s Spanish films