308) The Window (2008) Dir: Carlos Sorin Date Released: May 2008 Date Seen: September 23, 2009 Rating: 4/5
Save for a last gasp of strictly unnecessary Gilliam-esque whimzy, where an old man's mind regresses to an imaginary period of romance, Argentinean filmmaker Carlos Sorin's The Window maintains an air of serenity throughout its delicate and nuanced character study. Sorin's subject is Don Antonio (Antonio Larreta), a bed-ridden, elderly writer whose son, a famous pianist who thankfully is not a stereotypical boor but, y'know, a real human being, is visiting him for the first time in years. Sorin's depiction of Antonio is placatingly mild but is never so light as to dismiss his very real health conditions and wandering mind altogether. Though frail, Antonio is not helpless or senile, though he does pester his maids about missing money and insists on breaking out champagne in spite of his heart condition. He can read between the lines when people are fibbing to him and is more than capable of making his own decisions, though he often listens to his domestic aids' orders. That modestly warmhearted characterization is the cornerstone of Sorin's gorgeous film, a visually stunning work with thoughtful dialogue that suggests a combination of Terrence Malick's palette with Akira Kurosawa's knack for humanist drama. Go, rent, now.
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