When confronted with an Argentinean film, which was shot in black and white and was largely without dialect, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
The story is about a villain – Mr. TV, the owner of the city’s only television channel, who steals the ability of speech from an entire city in Argentina. However, the characters are still able to communicate through words, though it is his plan to eradicate them also. The characters are able to read the subtitles – which gives the film a very interesting feel. They interact with the subtitles at many points, which was a little confusing at first, but it was something quite unique.
The plot has a very ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ feel about it, but only because it’s is so similar in style and plot to that dictatorial literature. I couldn’t help but think though, that there was something very cartoonish about it – largely due to the obscure, larger than life characters.
Apparently, the film was produced on a tiny budget, but I have to say it looks fantastic. The use of visual trickery to recreate the look of old films works really well, and is complemented wonderfully by the use of sound throughout, which in a way makes up for the lack of speech. The constant whirring sound in the background also makes it feel like you’re watching it in a cinema where there is an interlude and tea is served.
La Antena is definitely worth a watch, even though it wasn’t a film I would have gone out of my way to see just hearing about.
Wow, i keep visiting this blog and its quite a surprise you mention this Argentinian film, im from there and havent seen it yet but have it in my list of films to watch.
Also, im an illustrator and keep checking the submissions section but you still havent posted anything yet and im a bit impatient to see what you come up with!
Much love