Photo: film still from Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman
Matías Piñeiro is only in his early thirties but already there is a retrospective of his unique films screening in NYC this week. Loosely based on Shakespeare his films have been described as playful, mysterious, charming, delicious, and elegant by critics (yeah, someone called his film delicious. Kinda creepy, no?)
The spotlight on his films is happening during Latinbeat, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s week-long showcase of Latin American movies. Latinbeat is not to be missed. It’s your chance to see the year’s best Latino films that have toured the festival circuit and may not otherwise play in NYC. Here are our top picks from Latinbeat’s lineup.
The Future
Alicia Scherson | 2013 | 98 mins
New York Premiere. Tuesday, July 16 at 8:15pm
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The first film adaptation of Roberto Bolaño’s literary works, Scherson’s third feature centers on two suddenly orphaned Chilean teenagers who slowly descend into an underworld of B-movies, cheap novels and derelict characters in the margins of Rome.
Tanta Agua (So Much Water)
Ana Guevara | Leticia Jorge | 2013 | 100 mins
Filmmakers in person for Q&A. Thursday, July 18 at 8:30pm | Saturday, July 20 at 2:30pm
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A divorced father’s vacation with his two children is marred by a storm that keep the three cooped up together as he desperately tries to remain enthusiastic and not let anything ruin their plans.
Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman
Ernesto Díaz Espinoza | 2013 | 75 mins
Filmmaker in person for Q&A. Saturday, July 20 at 9:30pm | Sunday, July 21 at 8:30pm
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This exuberant tribute to Peckinpah’s similarly titled 1974 film combines the plot of a Western with a video game aesthetic and structure in the story of a nerdy DJ who must undertake an action-packed mission to save his own life.
Magical Words (Breaking a Spell)
Mercedes Moncada | 2012 | 83 mins
Filmmaker in person for Q&A. Friday, July 19 at 6:30pm | Sunday, July 21 at 1:30pm
Moncada crafts a poignant and engaging personal perspective on her native Nicaragua from the 1979 Sandinista revolution through to modern times, weaving herself into the story at every historic step.
Spotlight on the Films of Matías Piñeiro
Viola
Matías Piñeiro | 2012 | 65 mins
Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18 at 11:15am, 1:45pm, 4:15pm, 6:45pm, 9:30pm
A web of romantic intrigue and revelation is delicately unraveled in this dazzling riff on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Screening with Rosalinda (Matías Piñeiro, 2010, 43m).
Latinbeat will take place from July 12 – 21 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.