Juan José Campanella had developed a career bouncing back and forth between the US, where he would direct episodes of TV shows, and Argentina, where he was starting his feature film directing career. After his Argentinean feature film debut in 1999, he tapped his leading man – Ricardo Darín – to star in his next feature, El Hijo de la Novia, or The Son of the Bride, before he headed back to the States for more TV work. With a touching story about a man in a midlife crisis (if you look at it in the most basic sense), Campanella created a story that speaks to the honesty of love, of growing older, of the effects of diseases like Alzheimer’s, of friendship – of life – and gave us a beautiful film. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our series on Argentinean actor Ricardo Darín with his 2001 film Son of the Bride.
We talk about Darín and why he works so well in this role, despite the fact that he starts off as largely unlikeable. We talk about the others in the cast too – Héctor Alterio, Norma Aleandro, Natalia Verbeke and Eduardo Blanco – and what they all bring to the table here. We look at how Campanella structures his scenes and why they often work so well, despite being surrounded by a story that otherwise could become maudlin very quickly. We chat about Daniel Shulman’s cinematography, with a camera that often feels like it’s dancing, and about Camilo Antoloni’s editing, with a balance of edits that complements the shots. And we debate about the character of Juan Carlos and if his comedic elements worked or ended up being too much for us.
It’s a delightful film that touches the heart full of wonderful performances. We have a great time talking about this one. Check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
Film Sundries
- Watch this film: Amazon
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
