La demora

Bearing the hallmarks of the best humanist dramas—sensitivity, compassion and a gritty social realism—Rodrigo Plá’s moving study of a single-mother and the aging, dangerously forgetful father, whose presence in her cramped home is driving her to desperate measures, is surprisingly gripping while packing a devastating emotional punch. Carlos Vallarino and Roxana Blanco are unforgettable as father and daughter.

"A powerful, realistic drama about an impaired old man and the daughter who cares for him, this is not only a closely observed psychological portrait of the relations between them but more than that, a moving social study of penury at work destroying the fabric of a family… Maria Secco’s cinematography offers a colour-drained, grey image which fits the mood of the film, whether it is in the extreme close-ups of the opening sequence, showing Agustin helplessly sitting in the bath with his daughter washing his back, or in the sadly dilapidated sights of the urban slums around them… There is a real sense of tragedy in this relationship, the dignity and respect it displays towards the helpless old man who is fully conscious of his state but can’t help it and the growing despondency and pressure building up inside Maria whose conduct, under other circumstances could be easily considered not only heartless but even criminal…"—Dan Fainaru, Screen