Martín (Hache)

Martín (Hache)
Directed byAdolfo Aristarain
Written by
  • Adolfo Aristarain
  • Kathy Saavedra
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPorfirio Enríquez
Edited byFernando Pardo
Music byFito Páez
Distributed by
  • Líder Films (Argentina)
  • Alta Films (Spain)
Release dates
  • 17 April 1997 (1997-04-17) (Argentina)
  • 26 September 1997 (1997-09-26) (Spain)
Running time
134 minutes
Countries
  • Argentina
  • Spain
LanguageSpanish
Budget200 million

Martín (Hache)[n. 1] [maɾˈtin ˈatʃe] is a 1997 Argentine and Spanish film directed by Adolfo Aristarain and starring Federico Luppi, Juan Diego Botto, Cecilia Roth and Eusebio Poncela.

Plot

Martín, known as "Hache," is a 19-year-old Argentinian boy. After his girlfriend leaves him, he has a nearly fatal drug overdose (thought by many to be an attempted suicide). Afterwards, his mother sends him to Madrid to live with his father, Martín.

Martín, a successful filmmaker, does not want to take care of his son because he likes living alone and being able to socialize with his two friends, Alicia and Dante, without influencing his son in any negative way since both Alicia and Dante are experienced drug users. Regardless, he brings him into his home, hoping to ward off any evil influences that might cause his son to have a relapse and commit suicide.

As time passes and Martín's friendships get more strained, it becomes clear that Hache needs to leave his father's place and make a name for himself.

Cast

Production

The film was filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Madrid, and Almería, Spain.[3][1]

Release

The film was the fifth most watched domestic film in Argentina, with 380,000 admissions.[4] It was released theatrically in Spain on 26 September 1997.[2][5]

Accolades

It was nominated for four Goya Awards in 1998, and Cecilia Roth won one for lead actress. It also 4 Silver Condors (Argentina film awards); for Best Director (Adolfo Aristarain), Best Actor (Federico Luppi), Best Actress (Cecilia Roth) and Best Supporting Actor (Eusebio Poncela).[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The title makes reference to the name of the son of Martín, portrayed by Juan Diego Botto, who is named after his father but with an "h" in brackets, which means hijo ("son" in Spanish; hache is the Spanish name for the letter 'H'). It is similar to calling a son named for his father "Junior" in English. The movie's English subtitles translate "Hache" as "Jay," since "jay" is the English name for the first letter in "junior" and is also a common English given name.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Wimal Dissanayake and Anthony Guneratne (Editors) Rethinking Third Cinema, p. 201, at Google Books
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Devesa & Potes 2003, p. 110.
  3. ^ Thomas G. Deveny Migration in Contemporary Hispanic Cinema, p. 178, at Google Books
  4. ^ a b Carolina Rocha Masculinities in Contemporary Argentine Popular Cinema, p. 114, at Google Books
  5. ^ Benavent 2000, p. 372.

Bibliography

  • Benavent, Francisco María (2000). Cine español de los 90. Diccionario de películas, directores y temático. Bilbao: Ediciones Mensajero. pp. 372–373. ISBN 84-271-2326-4.
  • Devesa, Dolores; Potes, Alicia (2003). "Adolfo Aristarain. Filmografía" (PDF). Nosferatu (43): 107–111. ISSN 1131-9372.