''A Lucky Day'' ( es, Un día de suerte) is a 2002
Argentine-
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
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 ...
directed by
Sandra Gugliotta, in her
feature film debut, and written by Gugliotta and Marcelo Schapces. In Argentina it's also known as ''Lo que buscas es amor''. The executive producer was Marcelo Schapces, and it was produced by Sandra Gugliotta and Fernando Merinero. It stars
Valentina Bassi
Valentina Bassi (born November 13, 1972) is an Argentine film and television actress.
Born in Trelew, Chubut Province
Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd par ...
as Elsa.
The theme of this
docudrama is the economic turmoil and unemployment among the young population during the
Argentinian economic crisis (1999-2002). The film won two awards at the
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...
, winning also the Caligari Film Award and the Don Quixote Award.
Plot
In 2000, Elsa (
Valentina Bassi
Valentina Bassi (born November 13, 1972) is an Argentine film and television actress.
Born in Trelew, Chubut Province
Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd par ...
), a 25-year-old woman who barely makes a living as a promotional girl on the streets in Buenos Aires, commits minor crimes, like stealing from her boss' wallet, in order to survive. As a promotional girl, she does what can be considered humiliating work: handing out flyers for "anti-stress" tablets for motorists and pedestrians, dressing up in odd outfits for fast-food restaurants, and the like.
During the film, protests take place in the streets of Buenos Aires but Elsa ignores them. Included are
documentary-like scenes of the 2001 riots that seem shot by a hand-held camera. She dreams of fleeing her impoverished country and traveling to Italy where a former "boyfriend", whom she had a one-night stand with several months before, left for better opportunities. This is ironic because her
anarchist grandfather (Darío Víttori) left Italy and came to Argentina to escape poverty (he still has anti-establishment views) years ago. Her boyfriend Walter (
Fernán Mirás
Fernán Gonzalo Mirás (born July 17, 1969) is an Argentine film and television actor and film director. He is sometimes credited as Fernando Mirás.
Career
He debuted in theater at the play ''El protagonista'', in 1989. In 1993 he starred i ...
) protests the trip, yet, her grandfather urges her to follow her heart. Her dream is mostly a fantasy she has in order to ameliorate the stress of surviving during Argentina's economic troubles.
Cast
*
Valentina Bassi
Valentina Bassi (born November 13, 1972) is an Argentine film and television actress.
Born in Trelew, Chubut Province
Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd par ...
as Elsa
* Claudio Gallardou as Alejandro
*
Fernán Mirás
Fernán Gonzalo Mirás (born July 17, 1969) is an Argentine film and television actor and film director. He is sometimes credited as Fernando Mirás.
Career
He debuted in theater at the play ''El protagonista'', in 1989. In 1993 he starred i ...
as Walter
*
Lola Berthet as Laura
* Darío Víttori as Abuelo
* Jesús Berenguer as Franco
* Damián De Santo as Toni
* Nicolás Mateo as Erasmo
* Claudia Lapacó as Madre
* Luis Luque as Hernando
* María Laura Cali as Claudia
* Mario Paolucci as Arístides
*
Maria Amato
Background
Basis of film
The film's backdrop is the economic crisis Argentina faced from 1999-2002. The poverty rate of Argentina grew from an already high 35.9% in May 2001 to a peak of 57.5% in October 2002. In addition, the May 2000 unemployment rate was 15.4%; it climbed to 18.3% in December 2001.
''Un día de suerte'' was shot in Buenos Aires during the riots of 2000 when political unrest was at its highest. Blackouts were also a common occurrence and street crimes occurred often.
Distribution
The film was first featured at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 22, 2002. It opened in Argentina on April 25, 2002.
It was screened at various film festivals, including: the
Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema; the
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.
the festival's director is Nashen Moodley.
Histo ...
, Australia; the
Karlovy Vary Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
; the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...
, Canada; the AFI Film Festival, United States; the Angers Film Festival, France; and others.
Critical reception
Clare Norton-Smith, writing for the ''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
,'' liked how the characters were developed by Sandra Gugliotta, and wrote, "Although Elsa endures grim circumstances and resorts to desperate measures, the spirit of conviction and a belief in oneself, make this ultimately a warm, life-affirming film. As Gugliotta says, her film 'speaks of dreams, of the possibility and the struggle to fulfill a dream. And it also speaks of good people, of social barriers, and of roots.'"
Some critics felt the film's theme, that is, economic deprivation, did not go far enough. David Walsh, writing for the ''World Socialist'' web site wrote, "Again, without being given some sense of the historical circumstances which account for the present state of mind, one cannot go very far. The film lacks the 'pathos of distance.' ''A Lucky Day'' raises interesting questions, but does not go terribly deeply into them. The scenes of the working class kids strike one as a bit false and stereotyped, a middle class notion of what such young people are like."