Suddenly
On the road a journey beyond guilt
Rating: 5/10
Running Time: 90 minutes
UK Certificate: 15
On DVD
Having never been in a situation where a couple of complete strangers have tried to kidnap me, Im not entirely sure how I might react but Id like to think Id put up a bit more of a struggle than Marcia (Tatiana Saphir), the tubby victim-cum-travelling companion in Argentinian road movie Suddenly
Picture the scene: youre a deep-set, overweight pant saleswoman walking along the street minding your own business, when from out of nowhere jump a couple of faux-militant lesbians (Carla Crespo and Veronica Hassan). Well, actually they claim not to be lesbians but thats not stopping them from declaring their undying love for you, flashing a flick-knife in your general direction, and refusing to leave you alone. Do you: (a) scream for help; (b) use your considerable girth to overpower them and make your escape; or (c) agree to join them in a cross-country trip to visit an ageing rellie.
Implausibly, Marcia chooses option c, and a journey to have a spot of tea and stay a couple of nights with old Auntie Blanca (Beatriz Thbaudin) ensues. En route they meet up briefly with a woman who seems incapable of talking about anything other than orcas, needlessly hassle a waitress, and catch a ride from a Danny Baker look-a-like.
With its harsh black-and-white visuals and down-trodden personalities, this can be a tough film to watch. On the up-side, it manages to grow despite its largely implausible premise and, even though its hardly in the rip-roaring edge-of-the-seater bracket, it does possess a strange charm. But the key problem is that, in the end, it just doesnt go anywhere. Young Argie writer-director Diego Lerman displays a keen knack behind the camera and shows enough promise to suggest theres much better to come from him, but in this instance theres an overwhelming sense of pointlessness that he just cant seem to shake off.
It's Got: A biting dog.
It Needs: A muzzle.
DVD Extras A trailer for this one, and a handful of extra trailers for some of the other films from distributors Tartan Video. DVD Extras Rating: 2/10
Summary
Its not bad, but lets hope director Diego Lerman can fulfil his potential and give us something much, much better in years to come.