Ronda Nocturna - Edgardo Cozarinski

Ronda Nocturna

Edgardo Cozarinsky, Argentina/France

Fiction, 2005, 81'

Cinematography Javier Miquelez

Editor Matine Bouqin

Sound Rodolphe Risse

Music Carlos Franzetti

With Gonzalo Heredia, Marinana Anghileri, Rafael Ferro

Buenos Aires by night. Victor is wandering, earning his life by selling his body, selling drugs. He is a part of the night life of the city, along with cartoneros, night shopkeepers, a flower seller, and in this Night of the Death, some wandering souls who come to seduce mortals. But the frontier are tigh, and the differents elements of the night can't be split off.

This film reprensent only one night, and during this night there are maybe too many things happening, of different kinds, differents universe : but if the spectator accept to be transported so quickly from one topic to another, and is not disoriented by many short scenes that are not linked by a storytelling aim, but is sensible to the will to show a panorama of Buenos Aires night, he will find many interests in this film. The secondary characters are always well represented, even in a few seconds, from the collegues prostitutes of the protagonist to the policeman protecting him, the bodyguard of an ambassador, or even « the chinese student studying in silence in a café after 2 AM », which is just a part of the set, but does exist by himself... This is a very strong point of the film : everybody looks real, present under our eyes by accident. And these small scenes are well written and directed to be efficient and evocatives. Let's add that many figurants (shop owners, cartoneros eg) are real, paid for their presence.

I'd be less enthousiastic by some longer scenes, with more dialogues, as in the end with a lot of explainations, a lot of words when it is not necessary. These scenes do not really serve the script, and slow down the rythme uselessly...

But the film is rather hold by two decicive points. The main actor, who is handsome without being a model, with a kind of indecision and instability that seems to allow anyting yo happen at any moment. He can danse in the street or play football with kids and after sharing powder with an old woman of the high society with the same ease. He is a kind of perfect witness of this night, light and uncertain but mostly aware of his place in this night. As he is present during the whole film, his rôle is capital and the choice of Gonzalo Heredia (a TV commercial actor) was wise.

The film was shot by night, in real conditions, waiting for the red sign to make a second shot, with real figurants, real cars unaware of their rôle... In these difficult condition, the photo was not easy to succeed, as most part of the light are just city light, even if often sustained by articial cinema lighting. This is an important part of the succes of this film : the movements are very clever, and often surprising and the pictures has a coldness that fit perfectly with the urban night represented. The work of the cinematographer here is brilliant and combined with the main actor gives to the movie a strong personality.