The movie The Delay (La demora 2012) directed by Rodrigo Plá is about everyday struggles of life in Uruguay cities. It is about a single mother with 3 kids working from home as a tailor for a big textile firm. She is left with taking care of her ageing father and gets no support from her sister on this. The welfare societies turn down her request to take in her father due to her not being below the poverty line. One day while returning home with her father, at the spur of the moment she abandons her father in a park bench after asking him to wait there while she gets water. Going home anonymously she calls an orphanage to have the old man picked up, but when they go the old man turns them down saying his daughter will certainly come back to get him. The confidence and the love of the old man towards his daughter were palpable and we are made to shed a few tears for their condition. The kids keep asking where is Grandpa and feeling remorse she searches for him throughout the city through the night. Finally, did they reunite or not is the story?
Most of the scenes are taken pretty close up which intensifies our feelings towards the old man, who has acted brilliantly. In the last scenes where the old man on a cold night is out in the open shivering and without food, I could almost feel my nose dry with cold, such was the realism. A fine cinema, don’t miss it if you get a chance to watch it. Finally, after a week of world cinema, I couldn’t help but await next year’s Film festival!
#Uruguay #LatinAmerica #FatherlyLove
Footnote: On the last day, the last show of the Chennai Film Festival 20212 I went to see this Uruguay film at The Inox. Long queue to get in for the 6:30 PM show stretching to elevators in the City Centre I thought I wouldn’t get a seat, but luckily I did and I got to enjoy this fine film.