Sergio Renán Movies

This film has confused audiences and reviewers since it was first made, because although the language it was shot in was Spanish, the story takes place entirely in Poland among a family of Jews who, in 1939, are on the run not only from the Nazis but from local anti-Semites. They manage to evade discovery at first by concealing themselves in a shallow hole dug into the ground, and they resort to similar expedients for the duration of the war. In addition to their fear of discovery and the near-starvation they endured in their below-ground refuges, they experienced baths of slime when it rained, their clothes rotted away, they were infested with lice, and had other afflictions. Only the help they received from a few sympathetic and reliable friends enabled them to survive. One of their hiding places was particularly clever and daring, as it was chosen to enable them to evade capture by the Germans' dogs and trackers: they hid in immediate proximity with the Germans so that their smell mingled with theirs, confusing the dogs, and they could walk inside the Germans' footprints to elude their pursuers. The obvious parallels of the protagonists' situation to similar situations in Argentine history was entirely intentional. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this talkative story about the elite of Uruguay, a wealthy patriarch is troubled by his workers and especially by one son Ramón (Victor Laplace). Ramón and his wife do not get along well, nor does Ramón like his brother very much; he is also having an affair and has some sort of special relationship going on with his father's mistress -- no wonder Ramon's life is spinning out of control, like the film in some ways. Characters tend to be a bit shallow, making it difficult to become involved with the autocratic father and his family. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In the cosmopolitan metropolis of Buenos Aires, skullduggery is afoot when a journalist decides to investigate the apparent "accident" of a friend. The circumstances of this death are suspicious, and the journalist finds himself pulled into the underside of Argentine life as he works his way to the reason behind his friend's death. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Life has lost its savor for the middle-aged widower in this drama. He keeps on at his job, but his grown children are a puzzle to him. One of his sons treats him with surly indifference when he sees him, which isn't often. The other son, it is increasingly clear, is a homosexual. However, when he begins an affair with a new employee in his office, a girl young enough to be his daughter, he experiences a brief sunny interlude. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This well-acted psychological drama was wildly popular in its native Argentina, in part because it was based on the best-selling novel Heroina by Emilio Rodrigue. With a dispassionate, measured tone, it tells the story of a well-to-do girl, Penny (Graciela Borges), who seeks psychiatric help after making a suicide attempt. She has made attempts to socialize with working-class people rather than her own peer-group but is unable to break through to them. Perhaps it is her own emotional stiffness. Things become much more lively for her once she gets to the analyst's couch. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A young man seeks a follower of Juan Peron who lead to his father's ruin in this plodding political drama. The hero spends most of the time wandering the streets in search of the man, but no insight is given to the character's motivations other than revenge. Symbolically, the searcher becomes the target in this film that seems to be a cinematic response calling for unity in Argentina in the wake of political volatility. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The brief life and extraordinary times of American jazz great Charlie Parker is the subject of this Argentinian biography by director Osias Wilenski. One of the greatest saxophonists of all time, Parker was also riddled with serious addictions and mental instabilities that eventually claimed his life in New York at the age of thirty-four. Born in Kansas City, MO, Parker -- known as the "Bird" -- was addicted to heroin as a teen. As his jazz career took off and he played with some of the biggest talents, like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, Parker was battling his own demons. This drama moves forward and backward in the saxophonist's life and does so with more examples of his music than of pithy dialogue. Sergio Renan plays Parker. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide