Tocar el cielo (2007) User Reviews

Positive Step

[jpschapira · 7/10 · 30 September 2007]

Watching two of Marcos Carnevale's films you can start drawing coincidences and characteristics that identify the work of a director. What Carnevale does is very interesting, because he aims directly to the heart. He fails sometimes, as he did with "Elsa y Fred", because it becomes too common and unrealistic; but "Tocar el cielo" is a positive step in his career. It's not his best, though.

In another script written by him and other partners, Carnevale risks it big time, with a choral movie in two countries and with characters from every age group, leaving aside the only relationship he had dealt with in his previous effort; which took place in one country only and with fewer characters. He risks with other things too, like showing the movie's title ten minutes after it begins.

It's difficult to explain what "Tocar el cielo" is about…You have to watch it because it demands attention from the viewer; it's definitely charged with a lot of things and the story lines are complex, with different readings and symbolisms of various types but you don't have to catch them all and you can enjoy the movie without doing it.

Is it good to have too much? Not in this film's case, because Carnevale hasn't mastered the art of 'connecting' and some cuts to black feel out of place. The intention is what's good, and "Tocar el cielo" never ceases to move, in that particular way of Carnevale's so strong and powerful writing that reminds us of the best Hollywood classics of recent times. And even when it has a lot of Hollywood on the table (there's one scene where a character has to ask for forgiveness and does it with written things on t-shirts, like the cards given to Keira Knightley in "Love Actually") and a big part of it occurs in Spain, "Tocar el cielo" feels more Argentinean than anything else.

Maybe it's Lito Vitale's unique score, or China Zorrilla's beautifully accentuated small appearance that we instantly identify with, or maybe it's Carnevale's communication with Juan Carlos Gómez, whose cinematography is sharper than ever when it comes to contemplating things from far away (it still needs some work in conversational scenes).

Also, there are some performances (besides China's) that anyone will appreciate if you don't like the movie. Facundo Arana's third cinematographic participation is his best and the good news is he can do better, Chete Lera's eccentric literature professor steals the show and Betiana Blum's tenderness wins every heart; which is, I repeat, Marcos Carnevale's objective when he directs and one that could be better achieved if it was closer to reality.

In "Elsa y Fred", you could see old couples enjoying the ride; here you should be able to see the whole family appreciating the joy for life the film has. Because we should clarify this now: Carnevale is not making television anymore, he is making cinema.

To touch the sky

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 16 August 2009]

As the story begins, Santiago, a handsome man, is marrying the attractive Amparo. After the ceremony, we watch as Santiago takes home another woman. What's going on here, one wonders? Well, it turns out it is a marriage of convenience because Amparo would like to adopt a baby, something a single woman in Argentina doesn't have a chance in getting.

In Madrid, people are preparing for the New Year's celebration. Pedro and Gloria, a couple of a certain age, are preparing to celebrate the occasion. They appear to have no friends, so they invite the maid and her family. Their tradition calls for sending balloons up in the sky with wishes attached to them. Pedro, a leftist literature professor, with a son named Fidel, has a strange relationship with Gloria. They appear to be in a sort of arrangement for the sake of companionship more than from being in love.

Two worlds apart, one in Spain, the other in Argentina, are more interconnected in spite of the action taking place separately. After all, they are family. When Gloria becomes ill, both sides come together to try to resolve their differences, even though Pedro and his son remain far from each other.

"Tocar al cielo" is a complex character study of a family living in two continents. Marcos Carnevale, who directed, as well as collaborated with the screenplay, shows he has talent for bringing all the elements in the film together, although the story is somewhat disorienting at times. It's hard to understand how Gloria goes from being diagnosed with cancer to being in the last stages of the disease in no time. It is also baffling the situation between Pedro, a man who should know better, and his son Fidel, or for that matter, with his own mother, Imperio.

In spite of all these questions, the film shows inspired performances by the all the principals. Chete Lara's Pedro is a bit over the top, as the eccentric aging professor. Bettiana Blum, an excellent Argentine actress appears as Gloria. The gorgeous Veronica Echegui who was so good as Juani in Bigas Luna's "Yo soy la Juani" has a small, but interesting role as Elena, the young woman student that ends up falling in love for Pedro. The great China Zorrilla makes the most of her Imperio and manages to show the matriarch she really is. Montse German is appealing as Amparo and Facundo Arana does a good job as Santiago.

Best of all was the musical score by Lito Vitale that adds texture to the narrative. Juan Carlos Gomez crisp cinematography makes an elegant contribution to the film. We shall look forward to Mr. Carnevale's new projects in the future.