Films: All In

All In
La suerte en tus manos

Argentina, 2012, 110 Minute Running Time
Genre/Subjects: Comedy, Romance
Program: Focus on Nation Cinema: Argentina
Language: Spanish English Subtitles

DIRECTOR: Daniel Burman
Producer: Daniel Burman, Diego Dubcovsky
Editor: Luis Barros
Screenwriter: Daniel Burman, Sergio Dubcovsky
Cinematographer: Daniel Sebastián Ortega
Principal Cast: Norma Aleandro, Valeria Bertuccelli, Jorge Drexler, Luis Brandoni, Silvina Bosco, Salo Pasik

Argentinian director Daniel Burman’s romantic comedy shuffles the lives of poker player Uriel (Oscar-winning songwriter Jorge Drexler), his two children, and an old flame who reappears just as he is about to get a vasectomy. Uriel, a divorced middle-aged lothario, hopes to put his sex life in high gear without any long-term commitments. He confides to his doctor, “My heart is like a Tupperware, there is no more room in it.” But when Gloria, the woman who jilted him in their youth, returns to Buenos Aires following her father’s death, he changes his tune. An avid cardsharp, Uriel puts on his poker face to pursue her, and piles on the lies. He tells Gloria he works in the glamorous entertainment industry instead of at a mundane money-changing business. As the two get reacquainted, Uriel finds himself enamored of the girl from his past. Gloria just wants an attentive boyfriend as he continues to “lie for love.”

A cast of delightful supporting characters adds to the fun in this “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl” scenario. Gloria’s mom (Norma Aleandro) complicates her daughter’s life with secrets of her own, while Uriel’s children, Otto and Sarita, coax him into pursuing his dreams. If only he would put live fish in the family’s empty tank, they would all be happy. Uriel’s doctor/confidant also adds a few surprises to the mix. Burman addresses Uriel’s Jewish heritage with scenes in a synagogue and onstage with a Jewish band. As a rabbinical rock group performs, ten-year-old Otto, dressed in full Hasidic garb, plays his electric guitar.

All In tends toward the lighthearted, but Burman is known for his darker side, with past fiction films Empty Nest and Brother and Sister.


- JOEY PORCELLI

In cooperation with Buenos Aires Pizzeria, the Mizel Arts and Culture Center

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