''Waiting for the Messiah'' () is a 2000 Argentine, Spanish, and Italian

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 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 ...

. The film features

Daniel Hendler Daniel Hendler (born 3 January 1976) is a Uruguayan film, television, and theatre actor who works mainly in his household with Maia Hendler, where he lives. He is known for his starring roles in films such as '' Bottom of the Sea'', ''Family Law ...

, Enrique Piñeyro,

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, ...

Melina Petriella Melina Petriella (born March 2, 1976) is an Argentine movie and television actress. Filmography * ''Besos en la frente'' (1996) * ''Esperando al Mesías'' (2000) aka ''Waiting for the Messiah'' * ''Nocturno'' (2001) * ''El Abrazo partido'' (2004 ...

Stefania Sandrelli Stefania Sandrelli (born 5 June 1946) is an Italian actress, famous for her many roles in the "Italian-style comedy" (''commedia all'italiana''), starting from the 1960s. She was 14 years old when she starred in ''Divorce Italian Style'' as Ang ...

Imanol Arias Manuel María Arias Domínguez (born 26 April 1956), better known as Imanol Arias, is a Spanish actor. In his career beginnings, Arias was a recurring face of Basque cinema. His career in the 21st-century is marked by his portrayal of Antonio ...

and

Dolores Fonzi Dolores María Fonzi (born 19 July 1978) is an Argentine television, theatre and film actress. Several of her films have received critical acclaim such as '' Burnt Money'' (2000), '' Waiting for the Messiah'' (2000), '' Bottom of the Sea'' (2003 ...

, among others. The film won many awards including Best Film at the

Lleida Latin-American Film Festival The Lleida Latin-American Film Festival (, or shortened to ) is a cinema festival that takes place in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain awarding Latin American films. It is organised by the Latin American Centre of Lleida and is sponsored by the city counci ...

. The film takes place in a Jewish community of Buenos Aires.

Plot

The picture tells of Ariel (

), a post-production video editor, a young man who is torn between his devotion to traditional family ties and the desire for something different, and, of Santamaría ( Enrique Piñeyro) an older bank employee who suddenly finds his life in complete turmoil. Santamaria is unexpectedly fired from his bank job due to the world's stock market shocks. His wife takes this event as an opportunity to get rid of him and put him out on the street. Forced to make a small living returning stolen wallets, Santamaria finds some hope in Elsa, a bathroom attendant (

) who is waiting for her husband to be released from prison. Ariel is very much against the restraints of a future that will see him take over his elderly father's (

) restaurant and marry an Argentine Jewish girl (

). At the same time, Ariel is also attracted to a sexy co-worker, Laura (Chiara Caselli), who tells him she's a lesbian.

Cast

Background

The title alludes to the Jewish belief of "waiting for the

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

"; in this case, characters are shown at first to be inactive and dormant, until death and crisis forces them to take action and reevaluate their lives.

Distribution

The film opened wide in Argentina on May 25, 2000. It was released theatrically in Spain on January 26, 2001. The picture was then presented at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

on September 14, 2000, and later at the

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 ...

on January 12, 2001.

Awards

;Wins *

Valladolid International Film Festival The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

: Critics Association Award;

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the wor ...

Prize: For an honest, both realistic and symbolic depiction of human hopes in Buenos Aires today; 2000. *

Havana Film Festival The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Latin American filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as ''Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana,'' and in English as International Festiv ...

: Grand Coral Third Prize;

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

; 2000. *

Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema The Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI, ) is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. History The festival had its first edition in April 1999 and i ...

: Special Award to Enrique Piñeyro for his Acting Performance;

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

; 2000. * Biarritz Film Festival: Audience Award;

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

; 2000. *

Argentine Film Critics Association Awards The Argentine Film Critics Association () is an organization of Argentine-based journalists and correspondents. The association presents the ''Silver Condor Awards'' (''Premios Cóndor de Plata'') honoring achievements in Argentine cinema. The aw ...

: Silver Condor; Best Music, César Lerner and Marcelo Moguilevsky; 2001. *

: Best Film; Daniel Burman; 2001. ;Nominations * Bratislava International Film Festival: Grand Prix, Daniel Burman; 2000. *

Thessaloniki Film Festival The Thessaloniki Film Festival is a Thessaloniki-based cultural institution focusing on cinema. The Institution organizes the Thessaloniki International Film Festival every November and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival every March, while its ...

: Golden Alexander, Daniel Burman; 2000. * Valladolid International Film Festival: Golden Spike, Daniel Burman; 2000. * Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor, Best Director, Daniel Burman; Best Film; Best New Actor, Daniel Hendler; Best New Actress, Melina Petriella; Best Original Screenplay, Daniel Burman and Emiliano Torres; Best Supporting Actress, Stefania Sandrelli; 2001.

References

External links

* *
''Esperando al mesías''
at the

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 ...

''Esperando al mesías''
at ''La Butaca'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waiting For The Messiah 2000 films 2000 comedy-drama films Films about Jews and Judaism Films shot in Buenos Aires Argentine independent films 2000s Spanish-language films Yiddish-language films Interfaith romance films Italian independent films Spanish independent films Films directed by Daniel Burman Films set in Buenos Aires 2000s Argentine films 2000s Spanish films 2000s Italian films