Valentín

What a relief. What a movie. What a simple and beautiful message. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Why is it so hard to find a movie like this? Never too sentimental, never cheesy, but full of fantasy and realism at the same time. How does he do it? I can only say... go see it!

firstly, this is a film rather than a movie; therefore, it appears that the objective is more to offer a discrete perspective to the viewer -- if one is interested in plots twists, car chases or other movie ' magic', it is perhaps advisable to look elsewhere

however, if one wishes to experiences what has to be universally fine acting -- especially by the always pitch-perfect ms carmen maura in a performance which may be surely described as Oscar-worthy -- a compelling study in inter- /intra-personal relationships and an opportunity to see the world differently after viewing : decease looking & enjoy what has become one of my favorite films

lacking experience or credentials in film criticism, i refrain from attempting to offer pretentious pseudo-critique; that being stated, just one of the aspects of the film i appreciated was a presentation of the heretofore little known personally topic of Argentinian jewry

further, this film elicited empathy for ostensibly unsympathetic characters reminding one that ' walking a mile in the shoes ' of others is still perhaps the best way to understand them

Valentin, the young boy living in the Buenos Aires of the sixties, is a kid that is more mature than what his tender age shows. He is articulate, wise and knows a lot about the life of the astronauts he hears about. In fact, he has built a lot of facsimiles of the space ships and even has his own version of a space suit.

What Valentin doesn't have is parents. We see him living with his older grandmother in a residential area of the capital. There isn't much money, so their lives are not exactly what one might call it even middle class. Yet, the grandmother is a loving woman that cares intensely for her little charge. It's never clear what happened between the parents, but it appears Valentin's mother was abused by the womanizer husband.

Alejandro Agresti's film, which he also wrote, was shown briefly in a commercial run here, but disappeared quickly, so we never got around to it. It came as a total surprise when it was shown in one of the cable channels in its original version.

The film is worth seeing because of Rodrigo Noya, the sweet Valentin of the film. Valentin is the narrator of the story. He amazes us with the way he looks at things and his understanding of what's going on around him. This young actor made an excellent contribution to the film without ever being bratty. Our hearts go to the poor little boy that fate has abandoned and is even lonelier after the sudden death of the grandmother.

Carmen Maura, as the grandmother, is a joy to watch. She plays a Spaniard who has emigrated to Argentina. Julieta Cardinali is seen briefly as Leticia, a beautiful blonde woman who Valentin would like to be his new mother, hoping his father will marry her. When the relationship ends, Valentin is miserable, but Leticia, seeing the goodness and loneliness of the young boy stays by him. Mex Urtizberea plays Rufo, the pianist neighbor who is kind to Valentin.

"Valentin" was a surprise that brought joy and fun at the same time.

Hollywood filmmakers could learn plenty from this marvelous little film from Argentina.

Rodrigo Noya is utterly charming and captivating as the title character, a 9-year-old boy who builds stuff for astronauts and whose attitude toward life and love is more adult than many of the adults in his life, including his father.

Director Alejandro Agresti's script is clever, humorous and poignant, yet, never becomes maudlin. Even a key moment in the story is deftly handled without an ounce of sentimentality. A Hollywood film most likely would have milked that scene dry with a melodramatic score and character histrionics.

"Valentín" is a celebration of childhood innocence. But it's also about how lessons learned as a young boy shape the adult man he is to become. There are moments in this film written so smartly you appreciate Agresti's talent. For instance, Valentin's scenes with Leticia are funny because of the way the two actors play the scenes so naturally, their dialogue and actions make perfect sense. Or, listen to the conversation between Valentin and his neighbor when they discuss the neighbor's ex-girlfriend over a cup of tea.

And the film's ending? A perfect close to a lovely story. Do yourself a favor and see this brilliant gem.

This is one of the very few movies I really love these past couple of years. Rodrigo Noya's Valentin is such a smart, funny and sad 8 year old boy. Everything he says gives you a smile and a little twist in the heart. He's like the old lady who lives alone and says she doesn't mind being alone but asks you to stay a little longer because she's baked dozens of cookies which nobody will eat. Rodrigo Noya is such an excellent actor that every nuance is caught thought his expressions, body language. The adults around him all act selfishly, but it's so realistic because we all are self-centered beings, and children sometimes are just treated like things that happened to be there. I love this movie so much I am recommending it to every people I know.