Oscar Kramer Movies

When a decidedly average Argentinean football (read: soccer) fan hears that his favorite player has been hospitalized with cardiac problems, his quest to present his idol with a piece of wood that bears an uncanny resemblance to the star athlete becomes the focus of director Carlos Sorin's lighthearted road movie. Tati Benitez (Ignacio Benitez) is a lumberjack who has recently been laid off, and these days the industrious but unemployed football fan makes his living by collecting pieces of wood for a nearby artisan. A die-hard eccentric who became obsessed with Diego Armando Maradona when the Argentinean international was with Boca Juniors, Benitez knows every statistic of Maradona's impressive career by heart -- as well as a formidable amount of personal information. When Benitez's friends inform that Maradona is suffering heart problems, he soon sets out on a pilgrimage to deliver a most unusual piece of wood to the man. Whether traveling by foot, by bus, or even ambulance, Benitez will stop at nothing to let his favorite player feel firsthand the dedication and love of his loyal fan base. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The true story of four men who narrowly escaped death at the hands of Argentina's military death squads during the 1970's is brought to the screen in this thriller. In 1977, Claudio Tamburrini (Rodrigo De La Serna) was a goalie for a minor league football team when he was abducted by members of the Argentine military police and taken to an unofficial detention center on the false suspicion that he was a terrorist. Over 30,000 people lost their lives at the hands of Argentinean authorities under the military junta that ruled the country between 1976 and 1983, and as he was tortured by intelligence agents looking for information he didn't have, Tamburrini fully expected to become another victim. After many sessions of brutal torture, Tamburrini and his fellow captives Guillermo (Nazareno Casero) and Tano (Martin Urruty) were being readied for execution when in a final desperate act, Tamburrini dove out a window during a rainstorm. Guillermo, Tano and another man followed, and the four, naked and with noting but their wits, began a desperate run to freedom. A major box office success in Argentina, Croica De Una Fuga (aka Chronicle of an Escape and Buenos Aires 1977) received its North American premier at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A recently unemployed mechanic attempting to maintain his financial stability finds that sometimes living is defined by more than just an income in director Carlos Sorin's endearing existential comedy drama. The Patagonia garage in which Coco (Juan Villegas) works has gone out of business, and after failing to find employment as a mechanic elsewhere, Coco hits the road to sell his finely crafted homemade knives. When that too proves a noble failure, Coco's life takes an interesting turn when, after rescuing a woman stranded far from home, the kindly wanderer is rewarded with a magnificent, specially-bred Argentine dog that he soon decides to take on the dog-show circuit. Of course the inexperienced Coco will need assistance in navigating the curious world of canine beauty pageants, and after meeting up with a carefree dog trainer named Walter (Walter Donado), the newly emboldened trio hit the road to seek out their fortune in an uncertain -- but certainly promising -- future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Love and betrayal complicate a robbery gone wrong in this offbeat crime thriller shot in Argentina. Angel (Eduardo Noriega) and El Nene (Leonardo Sbaraglia) are a pair of small-time criminals hired to take part in the robbery of an armored truck organized by mobsters Nando (Carlos Roffe) and Fontana (Ricardo Bartis), who working in cahoots with the driver, El Cuervo (Pablo Echarri). Angel and El Nene are also lovers, and when the robbery goes sour and Angel is shot by the police, El Nene is enraged and opens fire on the officers, turning the heist into a bloodbath. Angel and El Nene somehow escape and go into hiding, with El Nene attempting to nurse Angel back to health. As the couple tries to avoid detection in Uruguay, El Cuervo's moll, Vivi (Dolores Fonzi), tells the police of their whereabouts under threat of torture. Meanwhile, beginning to crack under cabin fever, Angel and El Nene slip into town to visit a carnival, where El Nene's head is unexpectedly turned by Giselle (Leticia Bredice), sparking murderous jealousy in Angel. Plata Quemada was adapted from a novel by Ricardo Piglia, which was inspired by a true story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Maverick filmmaker Sally Potter, who won acclaim in 1993 with the gender-bending, history-warping Orlando, returns to her dancing roots with The Tango Lesson. Potter wrote, directed, and starred in the film, also assembling the soundtrack, dancing, and even singing the film's final song. Potter was trained as a dancer in London in the 1970s before turning to film. Here, she plays Sally, a character who is essentially herself. Sally is a screenwriter suffering from writer's block and dissatisfaction with her own project, a murder mystery movie called Rage which focuses on the fashion industry. To take a break, she travels to Paris, where she sees the dancer Pablo Veron perform the tango. She becomes obsessed with the dance and offers Veron a part in her film in exchange for lessons. The two become deeply involved as dancers and as lovers, and their emotional intimacy threatens the success of their dancing together. The film is shot mostly in black and white, except for some dream sequences in which Sally fantasizes about her film project. Veron performs many modern dance numbers, including tap and ballroom dancing, as part of his tango repertoire. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

In this oddball comedy, the village Grande Dame tries to find a suitable husband so she can take good care of her daughter, a dwarf. The story is set in an Argentine village during the 1940's. Though her daughter, Charlotte, is a little person, the highly respected Leonor wants her to have a normal, happy life. At the same time, she does not wish to tarnish her public standing in the tiny town. She looks for a husband. The most promising prospect is Ludovico, a handsome bachelor desired by all the town single women. As he frequently visits her home and spends a lot of time with Charlotte, Leonor hopes he will marry her. She is sorely disappointed when it turns out that Ludovico is really interested in her daughter. Charlotte and Ludovico marry. They lead a happy fulfilling life until the circus comes to town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The British-Argentine Eversmile New Jersey is the sort of film that seems to be destined from the beginning to be limited to PBS and art-festival showings. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Fergus O'Connell, an itinerant American dentist, offering his services gratis to the rural Argentine populace. He is able to do this because of the supposedly no-strings sponsorship of a "dental consciousness" foundation. While his motorbike is being repaired, O'Connell falls in love with Estela (Mirjana Jokovic), the garage-owner's daughter. Both lovers have prior commitment--he is married, she is engaged--but they go off together all the same. After a series of surrealistic adventures, O'Connell discovers that there's a subliminal price tag attached to his altruistic free services. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide