A Useful Life

A Useful Life
The Spanish language cinema poster
Directed byFederico Veiroj
Written byFederico Veiroj
Gonzalo Delgado
Inés Bortagaray
Arauco Hernández Holz
Produced byFederico Veiroj
StarringJorge Jellinek
CinematographyArauco Hernández Holz
Edited byFederico Veiroj
Arauco Hernández Holz
Music byLeo Masliah & Macunaíma
Eduardo Fabini
Production
companies
Cinekdoque
Mediapro
Versátil Cinema
Release date
  • 13 August 2010 (2010-08-13) (Uruguay)
Running time
67 minutes
CountriesUruguay
Spain
LanguageSpanish

A Useful Life (Spanish: La vida útil) is a 2010 Uruguayan drama film about the love of film, directed by Federico Veiroj and shot in black-and-white.[1] The film was selected as the Uruguayan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards[2] but it did not make the final shortlist.[3]

Plot

Set in Montevideo's legendary Cinemateca Uruguaya, it is the story about the closure of a cinematheque with the same name due to financial difficulties, and how it affects its film loving middle manager Jorge (played by film critic-turned-actor Jorge Jellinek[4]), who has worked there for 25 years. At first he is overwhelmed by the prospect of having no profession or purpose, and drifts around in Montevideo. But eventually he realises that nothing can kill his love for film, so he ends the day by taking his love interest to the cinema.

Although the story is fiction, Cinemateca Uruguaya, which celebrated 50 years in 2012, is besieged by financial problems, and its director Manuel Martínez Carril agreed to play himself in the film.[5]

Cast

Awards

See also

References

  1. ^ "San Sebastián Film Festival". Telegraph. London. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  2. ^ "And the Hopefuls for Best Foreign Oscar Are ..." thewrap. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  3. ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Continue to Oscar Race". oscars.org. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  4. ^ The Guardian, 15 January 2012: A Useful Life – review Linked 25 October 2013
  5. ^ Indiwire: A Useful Life Linked 25 October 2013
  6. ^ "The 30th Istanbul Film Festival Concludes". ftnnews. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  7. ^ "'A Useful Life' Wins 32nd Havana Film Festival". businessinsider. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  8. ^ "26th Warsaw Film Festival - Summary". wff.pl. Retrieved 10 August 2011.