Cinequest: The Aerial

The sinister Dr. Y

Director Esteban Sapir has created a visual tour de force in The Aerial. This film quite simply blew me away both in story and style. It begins, like all good stories, like a fairy tale. A book is opened and the city stands up like a pop-up. The inhabitants of the city have been robbed of their voices. The story is told like a silent film, with subtitles appearing on the screen, but the characters have a unique ability to interact with them, gathering them in their hands or nudging them to one side. In the absence of sound, words take on a more physical aspect, and communication between people does so as well. The soundtrack is used well to this affect, also; for instance, when Mr. TV draws a question mark on the fogged up window of his car, we hear the screech of violins.

There are so many odd and delightful little moments it is impossible to recount them all, and really not necessary. This is a film to be experienced aurally as well as visually. And therein lies the irony: Sapir uses a visual medium to present a message about the power of words and the human voice. And while the conclusion is wholly satisfactory, there are still enough unanswered questions to leave one thinking about it for hours afterwards: Why is Mr. TV's chauffeur a rat? Why does the son of the Voice have no eyes? And why does Ana not give him the glasses meant to cure him? Why is the broadcasting equipment in the TV station shaped like a swastika, and the Aerial's like a Jewish Star of David? Who is the demented fairy (dancing in her glass bubble with a cap full of typewriter keys and a pacifier in her mouth) and what is her relationship to Mr. TV?

This is a brilliant, magical film. I hope I can find it on DVD one day, because it is worth seeing again.

Director Esteban Sapir Producer Jose Arnal Writer Esteban Sapir Cinematographer Cristian Cottet Editor Pablo Barbieri Carrera Music Leo Sujatovich Cast Valeria Bertuccelli, Alejandro Urdapilleta, Julieta Cardinali, Rafael Ferro, Florencia Raggi, Sol Moreno, Jonathan Sandor, Ricardo Merkin, Raul Hochman, Carlos Piñeyro Country Argentina Language Spanish w/ English subtitles Film Info 90min Genre Fantasy