Bolivia
Argentina, 2001, 75 minutes. Directed by Israel Adrián Caetano.
A starkly realistic story of an illegal immigrant
from Bolivia who lands a job with a greasy spoon on the outskirts of Buenos
Aires, poignantly limns the world of poverty, racism and casual violence
that characterize his newfound reality. Bolivia
is an urgent and timely drama of life in Argentina, a nation in crisis
that in the last few years has reached unprecedented poverty levels, vast
unemployment, bankruptcy, and a dramatically shrinking economy.
This
second feature by 33-year-old Adrián Caetano, one of Argentina's
rising stars in its miraculously fecund movie-making community, manages
to be both powerful and understated. A multiple prizewinner in French,
Spanish, Dutch and British film festivals, BOLIVIA suggests that an important
new voice is being heard. Bolivia is winner
of the Young Critics' Award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival's La Semaine
de la Critique.
"***½ Packs a Wallop" –"4th place in Top 10 list of 2003" – V.A. Musetto, NY Post
"Absorbing and skillfully wrought" – Nicole Keeter, Time Out
"The final proof that was needed to confirm Caetano as another brilliant auteur of the so-called New Argentine cinema." – Pablo Suárez, Buenos Aires Herald
"The most important Argentine film of the last twenty years. A work with an unusual narrative force." – Fernando Martin Peña, Rolling Stone