From Argentinean director Daniel Burman, the ‘Latin Woody Allen,’ comes this witty comedy of delusion and self-discovery in which a successful law professor suddenly finds himself unsure what it means to be either a husband or a father.

‘Perelman Jr’ (Burman’s onscreen alter ego Daniel Hendler) is a lawyer turned teacher, a loyal husband (to beautiful Pilates teacher Sandra) and good dad (to the writerdirector’s real-life son Eloy), who lives his life under the long shadow cast by ‘Perelman Sr’, his widowed lawyer father. Perelman Sr is the kind, wise centre of their community - and as such, a tough act to follow. So what, exactly, is the good son to do?

Effortless in its combination of shrewd observation and intimate detail, reminiscent of Robert Altman in its use of casual, apparently banal dialogue to communicate deeper truths, Burman’s latest feature is one of the warmest and most humane films of the year: a delightful, refreshingly understated comedy-drama, thick with the flavours of Buenos Aires’ street life, and an enviable sense of community.

Comedy/Drama, Spain/Argentina/Italy/France, 2006 102min. (M)
By: Daniel Burman
With: Daniel Hendler, Arturo Goetz and Adriana Aizemberg

Rating: (M)