Sidewalls (2011)

The movie "Sidewalls" is very different from the movies I usually watch and to be completely honest I'm not sure if I liked it or not. I thought it portrayed real life very accurately; real like is sometimes slow and a bit dull. In real life you go through conflicts caused by others or sometimes the conflicts are within; depression, anxiety, insomnia, loneliness, etc, and I think "Sidewalls" showed that. I would prefer if the movie was in English, mainly because I focused on the dialogue and didn't see some of the detail that was put into a couple shots. However, I thought "Sidewalls" was filmed very well; I personally really like it in movies when there is a voice over with shots that complement what is being said and this movie did that multiple times. I really liked how the two main characters went to the same places, were connected in several ways (the chair, the crosswalk, etc), but they never met until the end of the movie. I think the director wanted this movie to accurately portray reality: mental health issues controlling certain people's lives, how the internet is ruining face to face communication, but can also bring people together, and how everyone, at one time in their life, will feel completely and utterly alone. I think this movie can be directed towards a wide variety; mainly teens-adults. I definitely don't think this movie is appropriate for children because of some of the content and I don't think most elders would like this movie, but besides that I think this movie is targeted to most ages. I think that "Sidewalls" was a movie; it did have some things you could learn from and say was "educationally", but I do think it is more for pleasure. Overall, I do think "Sidewalls" was a good movie; I would suggest it to a friend and may even watch it again myself.

In an effort to learn Spanish, I've been watching a lot of Spanish- language movies, and not worrying too much about the quality. It was nice, finally, to watch one that is quite well done. This little Argentinean, romantic comedy is philosophical, charming, and visually beautiful.Martin (Javier Drolas), an agoraphobic website designer and Mariana (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), an underemployed architect, live on the same street in Buenos Aires. Both are depressed and lonely. As both go through a series of futile dates, we come to see that they would be perfect for each other, but of course, the odds of the two of them meeting in such a huge city are not good. The city has ways of putting up barriers between people, and the theme of the film is that successfully making a life in such a place requires physically and mentally breaking through those barriers.Meanwhile, the camera lingers on the skyline and the individual buildings of Buenos Aires, gray and inhuman. The variety of buildings is endless, and many have blank, windowless sidewalls, called medianeras. These blank spaces are used for billboards, an ugly alternative to what could have been light-bringing windows, and many apartment- dwellers rebel by chipping through the concrete to place unauthorized windows. Despite the urban philosophizing and beautiful cinematography, "Medianeras" does not demand to be taken too seriously. It's a fun, optimistic, romantic comedy which declares that, as one of the songs in the film puts it, "true love will find you in the end." Amen to that.

Sidewalls (2011)A wonderful, heartwarming, smart and funny film. Anyone would like this, so see it.Two lonely young people in two nearby apartments in Buenos Aries are everything in this fairy tale feel good romance. A romance where the two characters have never met. The city is lovingly brought to life through its buildings, most of them ordinary big city buildings much like the two characters are ordinary inhabitants. And the title, sidewalls (which is medianeras in Spanish for this home-grown Argentine movie), refers to the tall and often windowless side facades of the structures, including many apartment buildings, including the two where our hero and heroine reside.So what goes on? You see the almost painfully lonely lives of two really likable people, wishing they could somehow meet. They have similar interests, they live near to each other, and they are both looking for love. Small things happen in the movie, little asides, but really the whole things is just this gradual accumulation of expectation. They really should meet, somehow, cross paths and recognize their parallel needs. The audience is totally convinced they are perfect for each other.If only life would comply.Director Gustavo Taretto, who also wrote the sly monologues and voiceovers for the movie (there is almost no dialog), originally made this as a short in 2005, running at half an hour, and it got rave reviews and won a slew of awards. So it was expanded here, and somehow it doesn't seem stretched too long even though the idea is the same (and the same lead actor was used, with a different lead actress). If there is any drawback to the movie, however, it is a slowly growing feeling that there is just this one clever situation at hand and it needs to resolve, or end, or something, to keep the incredible magic of the first half going.Not that it exactly flags. The fairytale aspects get slightly improbable (as fairy tales do) by the last half hour, but it's exactly what you need. And then it's done, a fun and funny gem. It fits into a category of independent features worldwide using small casts, young actors and simple bright ideas. This is one of the best.

The opening night film for the 2011 La Mirada Film Festival was the romantic drama Medianeras (aka Sidewalls), the debut feature from writer/director Gustavo Tarreto, who has made a lot of short films in his native Argentina. Medianeras is based on his own award winning 2005 short film, and tells the story of Martin and Mariana, two people living in separate apartments within the same block in Buenos Aires. They are unaware of each other's presence, even though they occasionally cross paths during their busy days. But it takes a chance connection to bring them together. The film superbly captures that sense of isolation and loneliness of living in a thriving metropolis. It also explores those random connections that can change a person's life. However, the film starts slowly with a dry lecture on architecture and the role it plays in shaping the rhythm and life of a city. It has been evocatively shot by cinematographer Leandro Martinez, and it develops a nice rhythm eventually. The central cast featuring Pilar Lopez de Ayala and Javier Drolas is also attractive. However, this slow paced drama is a little frustrating at times, and is an odd choice for opening night as it lacks any sort of grand cinematic moments.