His Renault 12 may be old, crappy and terribly un-cool, but for 35-year-old car service driver Alejandro (played by "Vicentico," singer and leader of the popular Argentine rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs) it's a haven of peace and his sole object of desire — besides disco dancing, that is.

When the good-natured driver runs into fast-talking self-made “Piraña” one evening, he begins spiraling into an adventure he can't control. Chance encounters and new friendships with a steadily growing number of lucid, pill-popping psychotics present promising business opportunities. Alejandro suddenly finds himself rich from selling one-size-fits-all “magic gloves,” which also bring porn, dog-walkers, health-spas and anti-depressants into Alejandro’s life. In this absurdist comedy, Rejtman, a master of dead-pan humor, once again gives life to endearingly obsessive characters, offers a unique and un-romanticized view of Buenos Aires, and builds a poetic coherence from apparently banal situations.

Los Guantes Mágicos is an extraordinary and rare opportunity to enjoy the work of one of the most original and respected filmmakers of the New Argentine Cinema.

“The film, a near masterpiece, at times approximates the cut-and-dried tone of Rapado, and at others, the engaging, infectious humor of Silvia Prieto. It is a perfect combination of both previous films, but goes way beyond them.... The tight script and outstanding ensemble acting draw a wondrously poignant portrait of paralysis and lack of communication in present-day Buenos Aires. Its unflinching view of the state of things here and now is subversively funny.”
— Pablo Suárez, Film Comment

The Cinema Tropical Film Series USA is sponsored by The New York Times.

For more information call (212) 592-3428