Films & Schedules

  • The Window
    La Ventana

  • Carlos Sorin


Country:
Argentina/Spain
Year:
2008
Language:
Spanish
Runtime:
85 minutes
Format:
Colour/35mm

Production Company:
Wanda Vision/Guacamole Films
Producer:
José María Morales
Screenplay:
Carlos Sorin
Production Designer:
Rafael Neville
Cinematographer:
Julian Apezteguia
Editor:
Mohamed Rajid
Sound:
José Luis Diaz
Music:
Nicolás Sorin
Principal Cast: Antonio Larreta, Maria del Carmen Gimenez, Emilse Roldán, Roberto Rovira, Alberto Ledesma

International Sales Agent:
Bavaria Film International

PUBLIC SCREENINGS
Sunday September 0708:30PM VARSITY 3 Add Film to MyTIFF Filmlist
Tuesday September 0904:00PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 3 Best Bet Add Film to MyTIFF Filmlist
Friday September 1204:45PM VARSITY 1 Add Film to MyTIFF Filmlist

BOMBÓN – El Perro, Carlos Sorin's 2004 road movie set in the arid part of Argentine Patagonia, charmed Festival audiences with the story of a shy dog that did not want to comply with his master's desire to breed him. Sorin returns to Patagonia in his latest feature, The Window, expertly bringing the region's quiet splendour to life. Gentle and tender, Sorin's work once again shows the more fragile side of human nature in this nostalgic film about memory, aging and impending death.

Ill and bedridden, eighty-year-old Antonio (an astonishing performance by renowned screenwriter Antonio Larreta) awaits a visit from his estranged son, now a world-famous concert pianist. He wants everything to be perfect for the reunion, and the women who coddle and nurse him in his hacienda work non-stop to make him happy. A piano tuner arrives to make sure that the instrument is in working order, and the champagne bottle that has been kept in the cellar for forty years, awaiting a special occasion, is brought out for the welcome toast.

Unable to assist with the preparations, Antonio can only examine the world from his window. As he observes the magnificence of the land, his nostalgia grows and his memories of the past seem to permeate his room. Antonio decides to defy his doctor's recommendations, and secretly leaves the house, unseen by his faithful caretakers, to take at least one last walk in his fields.

The film is suffused with a sense of solitude. Sorin has constructed a world in which human interaction is uncertain; it is the characters' relationships with nature and art that are most significant. Stunning cinematography and superb pacing complement the film's quiet beauty as it gracefully takes us through the engrossing final day of its protagonist's life.

Diana Sanchez


Carlos Sorin was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is a writer, director, cinematographer and producer. His award-winning feature films include A King and His Movie (86), Eversmile, New Jersey (89), Intimate Stories (02), BOMBÓN – El Perro (04) and The Window (08



Cadillac People's Choice Award