Description
(Foreign/Drama) Rather than live in his father’s shadow, Perelman Jr. chose a different path. When his office is unexpectedly closed for several weeks, he doesn’t tell his wife, instead he spends time with his son at his school and his father’s work. As his father begins to reach out to him, he is forced to question his roles as father, son, and husband and contemplate what lies ahead for himself and his family in this endearing and tender story…. More >>
#1 by Gonzalo Robert Diaz on April 13, 2010 - 8:38 pm
Argentine movie makers seem to make it a point not to tell a story in their movies.
Instead, an Argentine movie has to be plotless, be somewhat Costumbrista, slightly testimonial and, most of all, have a “French ending” to leave the viewer wondering.
It has to be pretentious and boring, because Argentine viewers do not go to the cinema to enjoy themselves, they go to the cinema to be educated. Let’s leave those minor things like create a good story to those stupid gringos, we are beyond that.
Unfortunately, this movie follows all those guidelines.
Which is a pity, because the acting is, in general, acceptable (except for Adriana Aizemberg, who manages to bring the movie to a stop by overacting in her only 30-second speech).
But in all justice, no character is engaging, and there is only so much the actors can do.
I enjoyed the voice-over by the protagonist (performed by Daniel Hendler), with his cultivated, yet young and typically River Plate accent.
Rating: 2 / 5
#2 by Ronald Scheer on April 13, 2010 - 10:04 pm
This film, set in Buenos Aires, is a loving story of father, son, and grandson. Recently wed young lawyer and university teacher, Perelman, lives a buttoned down life that works as regular as clockwork until his kindergarten-aged son, aging father, and Pilates instructor wife help him break out of the mold. Daniel Hendler is wonderful as the 30-something protagonist suddenly set adrift by structural problems that close down the office building where he works.
A deft teacher, whose lectures to large classes are interrupted by staged intrusions of men posing as penguin advocates and devoted former students, he is concerned as a trial lawyer with the unreliability of perception. There’s much, he learns, that he has never seen with his own eyes until now, as he grapples with parenthood and the odd behavior of his father, whose practice of law is at opposite poles from his own and whose career-long personal assistant begins to look more like she’s also been his mistress. The film wants to charm, and for the most part it does, with a sweetly told “coming of age” story, for a man of principle who sleeps with his suit on.
Rating: 4 / 5
#3 by Eric V. Coleman on April 13, 2010 - 11:22 pm
This movie illustrates the life of a young man and his family in Argentina, where his father is an attorney, and wants the son to resume the law practice.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by dolgoruky on April 13, 2010 - 11:41 pm
This film examines the rrelationship of an established, well-respected lawyer (Bernardo Perelman, played by Arturo Goetz) and his brilliant, up-and-coming lawyer son (Ariel, played by Daniel Hendler). Since the father and son work together in a two-man law firm the plot amplifies inevitable Oedipal confflicts. Ariel has a young son, and muses a great deal about what it means to be a father.
Such a film demands strong acting, since much of the complications and conflicts which develop inside the two main characters. Arturo Goetz is a very fine, who is a well known actor in the Spanish-speaking world, gives a solid performance as Bernardo. A winner of many awards in Argentian cinema, Goetz has recently appeared in the English-speakng world as a minor character in “No Country for Old Men.” He certainly projects the image of the honored and well-respected senior lawyer. Bernardo’s private life also comes under Ariel’s scrutiny, and adds to the complexity of the conflict.
The highest acting honors, however, must go to Daniel Hendler. This actor is currently a hot property in Argentina. He has established a reputation as a young leading man in a number of films, many of them dealing with Jewish life in Buenos Aires. He has a very fine face, not conventionally handsome, but certaily fine to look at. Parts like this one bring out the best in him, as we see immediately his deep character. As they used to say in Hollywood, “the camera loves him,” and he conveys much subtilty in miniscule gestures.
“Family Law” is not really a feel-good family movie, but family dynamics drive the plot. An important matter for this family is their Jewishness. If you’ve ever been to Buenos Aires, you know that the city has a fine, strong Jewish sub-culture. Also, if you’ve been to Buenos Aires and love the city as much as I do, the many outdoor shots will please you. It’s not that the city is a full-blown character in the film, but the film is well shot, and the cirector, Daniel Burman, is particularly adept at using BA as the scenery.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by E. Gilbert on April 14, 2010 - 12:08 am
This is the marvelous final installment of the three-film autobiographical series of films by Argetinian director Daniel Burman, reminding me somewhat of Truffaut’s early films, that follow the central character, played in all three films by Daniel Hendler, to this final point of marraige, fatherhood and new maturity. The films are each really about fatherhood and living in the shadow of a father. While my favorite remains the middle film, “Lost Embrace,” for its wonderful, quirky characters, its spirit and humaneness, all three films, which begin with “Waiting For the Messiah” and are set in the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, are among my recent favorites. “Family Law” rounds off the tale with loss and delicacy and wry wisdom.
Rating: 5 / 5