The Dark Side of the Heart
The Dark Side of the Heart (Spanish: El lado oscuro del corazón) is a 1992 Argentine surrealist romantic drama film written and directed by Eliseo Subiela.[1] The film was selected as the Argentine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2][3] It is currently considered a cult film.[4]
| The Dark Side of the Heart | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Eliseo Subiela |
| Written by | Eliseo Subiela |
| Based on | Selected poems by Oliverio Girondo Mario Benedetti Juan Gelman |
| Produced by | Suzanne Dussault Roger Frappier Susana Serebrenik Fernando Sokolowicz |
| Starring | Darío Grandinetti Sandra Ballesteros Nacha Guevara |
| Cinematography | Hugo Colace |
| Edited by | Marcela Sáenz |
| Music by | Mário Clavel Osvaldo Montes Chico Novarro Fito Páez |
Release date |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
Plot
Oliverio (Grandinetti), a Bohemian poet, travels through Buenos Aires with his friends, harassed by Death, looking for a woman capable of “flying”. In the course of the film, the poetry of Mario Benedetti, Juan Gelman and Oliverio Girondo is seen intermingled with the thickest places of Argentine and Uruguayan artistic daily life. From the barbecue, to the battered bars of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the main character's thought is intermittently intertwined with fiction, only to be able to better show the central character's thinking.
The story unfolds in the comings and goings of Oliverio, through his world, in which, exchanging food for poetry, or asking for coins on street corners, seeing Mario Benedetti reciting his poems in German, seeing Genetic sculptures, talking to cows, and conversing with death seem to be part of any given day in the life of a poet.
Cast
- Darío Grandinetti as Oliverio
- Sandra Ballesteros as Ana
- Nacha Guevara as Death
- André Melançon as Erik
- Jean Pierre Reguerraz as Gustavo
- Mónica Galán as the ex-wife
- Inés Vernengo: the blind girl
Awards
- Grand Prix des Amériques
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival
- Critic Award
- Best Actor
Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences Awards
- Best Director
- Best Cinematography
- Best Art Direction
- Best Editing
43rd Berlin International Film Festival
- Jury Award of the Readers of the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, International Forum of Young Cinema
- Best Director
- Best Cinematography
- Critics Jury Award
Cinoche International Film Festival of Baie-Comeau
- Best Screenplay
Festival du film de Sept-Îles
- Best Film
Silver Condor, Argentine Film Critics Association
- Best Director
- Best Cinematography
- Best Art Direction
- Best Female Revelation
Bergamo Film Meeting
- “Rosa Camuna” Award for Best Film
Sin Cortes Awards
- Best film
- Best Screenplay
- Best Art Direction
- Best Original Music Score
- Best Female Revelation
Argentores Awards
- Best Film Book
- Best Director
- Best Actor
- Best Original Music Score
Sequel
A sequel titled The Dark Side of the Heart 2 was released in 2001. A Spanish-Argentine co-production, also written and directed by Eliseo Subiela, and starring Darío Grandinetti and Sandra Ballesteros, along with Ariadna Gil and Nacha Guevara. It was released on July 5, 2001.
See also
References
- Clarke Fountain (2016). "The Dark Side of the Heart". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- "Foreign Oscar entries submitted". Variety. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- The return of ‘The dark side of the heart’, by Jordi Costa: "A film that perfectly fits the concept of cult cinema is back in theaters: nobody gave a penny for it (at the time of its release), not even its director" 09-07-2017, El País (in Spanish)