''Empty Nest'' () is a 2008

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Daniel Burman Daniel Burman (born 29 August 1973, in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine film director, screenplay writer, and producer. According to film critic Joel Poblete, who writes for ''Mabuse'', a cinema magazine, Daniel Burman is one of the members of th ...

and starring Oscar Martínez and

Cecilia Roth Cecilia Edith Rotenberg Gutkin (born 8 August 1956), known professionally as Cecilia Roth () is an Argentine actress. She is the winner of two Goya Awards and a European Film Award. She is known for being an " Almodóvar girl" and the "muse" ...

Plot

The story is centered on a family of five, a father, mother, their two sons, and daughter, revolving around the father. The reality within the diegesis is that of the father, Leonardo. The film plays with chronology and reality. Leonardo is a well-known writer and playwright, whose his wife left university studies to take care of the family. The film begins with a scene of a dinner in which Leonardo seems uncomfortable because, as is learned later in the film, he is witnessing a possible affair between his wife and an old college friend of hers. The film documents the troubles of the marriage as Leonardo has a brief affair with his dentist shortly after his youngest daughter leaves to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

with her new husband Ianib. Leonardo's version of reality is, at many times, questionable during the film. He talks to a doctor that researches memory and they talk about the construction of memory and fantasy and it alludes to the

self-reflexivity Self-reference is a concept that involves referring to oneself or one's own attributes, characteristics, or actions. It can occur in language, logic, mathematics, philosophy, and other fields. In natural or formal languages, self-reference oc ...

of the film. Leonardo's

son in law In law and in cultural anthropology, affinity is the kinship relationship created or that exists between two people as a result of someone's marriage. It is the relationship each party in the marriage has to the family of the other party in th ...

Ianib leaves behind a book for him to read and asks for his opinion of it. Leonardo takes some time to actually read the book even though he carries it around for most of the film. When he finally reads the book, he is surprised to find out that it is brilliant. This scene is accompanied with a distinct use of lighting that focuses on Leonardo and his absorption within the novel. The question of

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

is brought up in the film. Leonardo is questioned by one of his colleagues after a cartoon that he created is looked down upon as an anti-Semitic caricature of the

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

people. Leonardo responds by saying, “Me, anti-Semitic? My daughter married an Israeli”. Leonardo takes his colleague's remarks quite lightly and soon travels to Israel with his wife to visit their daughter. It is during almost the end of the film that the viewer meets Julia and Ianib. Ianib wins a prestigious award for his novel and this serves as a bonding experience between the father and the Jewish son-in-law. Tensions that were built upon during most of the film are released with the time that Leonardo and Ianib spend together in Ianib's home country. Talk of children comes up during dinner and possible

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

is mentioned. Ianib and Leonardo find something in common with each other, and while it may not be religion or language, it is their passion for writing. Ianib tells Leonardo, when his memory is questioned by Martha and Julia, “Family stories are always true”. The film closes with shots of the

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

of Israel and a bonding moment between Martha and Leonardo before playing with

chronological Chronology (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , , ; and , ''wikt:-logia, -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the deter ...

order once more, going back in time, to offer a scene with Leonardo and Julia talking after she comes home from a date with Ianib.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1139664 2008 films Films about Jews and Judaism Argentine independent films 2000s Spanish-language films Films directed by Daniel Burman 2008 independent films Spanish-language independent films