Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
an and
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 ...
,
comedy drama
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
, directed by Diego Arsuaga, and written by Arsuaga, Fernando León de Aranoa, and Beda Docampo Feijóo. It's also known as ''Corazón de fuego'' in Argentina..
The film's executive producer was Mariela Besuievski, and it was produced by Pablo Bossi, Gerardo Herrero, Oscar Kramer, and Carlos Mentasti.
Synopsis
The film tells of an ambitious business man (Pauls) who wants to sell train 33, affectionately known as "Corazón de fuego," to a company in Hollywood. A group of elderly men known as "The Friends of the Rails" think that to do so would be to sell an important part of the country's history and so devise to steal the train.
The group of hijackers is led by "El Professor" (Alterio), and the train itself is driven by Pepe, who claims to have learned how to do so during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. The group is also accompanied by Dante Minetti (Soriano), who suffers from
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
, and Guito, Pepe's neighbor/friend's nine-year-old great-nephew. The escapade takes the train all across the small country, exhibiting Uruguay's vibrant landscape and varied climate, also revealing many abandoned towns and train stops.
Cast
*
Héctor Alterio
Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain.
Biography
Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato was born in Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Chacarita, ...
as El Profesor
*
Federico Luppi
Federico Luppi (; February 23, 1936 – October 20, 2017) was an Argentine film, television, radio and theatre actor. He won numerous awards throughout his acting career.
Biography
Luppi worked mostly in Argentine cinema, but also worked in Ch ...
as Pepe
* Pepe Soriano as Dante
* Gastón Pauls as Jimmy Ferreira
* Balaram Dinard as Guito
* Eduardo Miglionico as Ponce
* Elisa Contreras as Micaela
* Saturnino García as De León
* Jenny Goldstein as Notera
* Alfonso Tort as Daniel
Distribution
The film was released wide in Uruguay May 31, 2002, and in Argentina on August 22, 2002.
The picture was screened at various film festivals, including: the
Montréal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival (), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 19 ...
, United States; the ''Cinémas d'Amérique Latine de Toulouse'', France; the Copenhagen International Film Festival, Denmark; the Hamburg Film Festival, Germany; and others.
Awards
Wins
*
Montréal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival (), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.Ariel Awards, Mexico: Silver Ariel; Best Latin-American Film, Uruguay; 2003.
*
Goya Awards
The Goya Awards () are Spain's main national annual film awards. They are presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.
The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Ar ...
: Goya; Best Spanish Language Foreign Film, Diego Arsuaga, Uruguay; 2003.
*
Gramado Film Festival
The Gramado Film Festival () 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 Brazil. It is the biggest ...
: Audience Award Latin Film Competition, Diego Arsuaga; Special Jury Award Latin Film Competition, Diego Arsuaga; 2003.
* Lima Latin American Film Festival: Elcine Second Prize, Diego Arsuaga; 2003.
Nominations
* Montréal World Film Festival: Grand Prix des Amériques, Diego Arsuaga; 2002.
* Valladolid International Film Festival: Golden Spike, Diego Arsuaga; 2002.
* Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor, Best Actor, Héctor Alterio; Best Actor, José Soriano; Best Music, Hugo Jasa; 2003.
cinenacional.com
Cinenacional.com is a web portal and web-based database about Argentine cinema. It is the most comprehensive site for information about the Argentine film industry, with a vast array of information on films, television programs, directors, actor ...