Trenque Lauquen (film)

Trenque Lauquen
Directed byLaura Citarella
Screenplay by
  • Laura Citarella
  • Laura Paredes
StarringLaura Paredes
CinematographyAgustín Mendilaharzu
Music byGabriel Chwojnik
Production
company
El Pampero Cine
Distributed byGrandfilm
Release date
  • 7 September 2022 (2022-09-07) (Venice)
Running time
260 minutes (two parts)
Countries
  • Argentina
  • Germany
LanguageSpanish

Trenque Lauquen is a 2022 Argentine-German mystery-drama film directed by Laura Citarella, and starring Laura Paredes, who co-wrote the screenplay with Citarella. A sequel to Citarella's Ostende (2011), the film premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival. It was theatrically released in two parts.

Plot

A woman disappears and two men go out on the road to look for her: they both love her. While looking for her, they wonder why did she leave, and although each man has their own suspicions about the real reason, they keep their thoughts hidden from each other, all the while never really becoming rivals. The sudden escape becomes the hidden core of a series of vignettes that the film delicately weaves: the secret of another woman's heart, also lost, many years ago; the secret of the life of a town in the countryside, governed by a supernatural incident that no one seems to perceive; the secret of their region's plains, which never cease to spread and devour everything, like the mysterious shadows that invade the world after the hour of twilight.

Cast

  • Laura Paredes as Laura
  • Ezequiel Pierri as Ezequiel aka 'Chicho'
  • Rafael Spregelburd as Rafa
  • Elisa Carricajo as Elisa Esperanza
  • Verónica Llinás as Romina
  • Juliana Muras as Juliana
  • Cecilia Rainero as Normita

Release

The film had its world premiere in the Orizzonti section of the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival.[1][2] It was later screened at various festivals including San Sebastián International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.[2] In the US, it was released in two parts on 21 April 2023.[3]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10.[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 91 out of 100, based on 7 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]

Trenque Lauquen was ranked first on Cahiers du Cinéma's top 10 films of 2023 list.[6]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Trenque Lauquen
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice Film Festival 10 September 2022 Orizzonti Award for Best Film Laura Citarella Nominated [7]
San Sebastián International Film Festival 24 September 2022 Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Prize Trenque Lauquen Nominated [8]
Film Fest Gent 22 October 2022 Grand Prix for Best Film Nominated [9]
Mar del Plata International Film Festival 12 November 2022 Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Length Film – Latin American Competition Won [10]
[11]
Alta Definición Argentina Award to the Best Film in the Latin American Competition Won
Eva Landeck Award Laura Citarella Won
International Cinephile Society Awards 12 February 2023 Best Picture Trenque Lauquen Won [12]
Best Director (Tied with Albert Serra) Laura Citarella Won
Best Screenplay Laura Citarella, Laura Paredes Won
Best Ensemble Cast of Trenque Lauquen Won

References

  1. ^ Danielsen, Shane (1 October 2022). "Last tango in Venice: 'Trenque Lauquen'". The Monthly. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b Foreman, Liza (16 December 2022). "Luxbox Sells Argentine Title 'Trenque Lauquen' to the Cinema Guild for North America, Scores Further Deals". Variety. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  3. ^ Raup, Jordan (6 April 2023). "An Epic Tale Unfolds in Exclusive U.S. Trailer for Laura Citarella's Trenque Lauquen". TheFilmStage.com. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Trenque Lauquen: Part I". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Trenque Lauquen Parte I". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  6. ^ Zilko, Christian (1 December 2023). "Cahiers du Cinema Names Best Films of 2023, Including 'Anatomy of a Fall' and 'Close Your Eyes'". IndieWire. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  7. ^ Scarpa, Vittoria (26 July 2022). "Roberto De Paolis, Teona Mitevska and the duo Tizza Covi-Rainer Frimmel are ready to disembark on the Lido, in Orizzonti". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  8. ^ Rivera, Alfonso (25 August 2022). "San Sebastián's wildly varied Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section announces 22 titles". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  9. ^ Engelen, Aurore (27 September 2022). "Close to open the 49th edition of Film Fest Gent". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  10. ^ Giménez, Carlos (5 December 2022). ""Trenque Lauquen": película de 4 horas ganó en Mar del Plata". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  11. ^ "37º Edición (2022)" (in Spanish). Mar del Plata International Film Festival. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  12. ^ Stevens, Beth (12 February 2023). "2023 ICS Award Winners". ICS. Retrieved 15 April 2023.