Southern Storm

"Based on the eponymous graphic novel and awarded at BAFICI, The Southern Storm (La sudestada) is an Argentine neo-noir that, by its premise, might be reminiscent of Vertigo, the Alfred Hitchcock classic. This is the story of Jorge "Sabueso" Villafañez (Juan Carrasco), a private detective hired by a man to follow his estranged wife, Elvira (Katja Alemann), a famous experimental dancer and choreographer who has been acting strangely: she suffers from creative block, wanders around the city, and travels to a house in the jungle without telling anyone. However, the similarities end here: directors Daniel Casabe and Edgardo Dieleke do not delve into an exploration of the protagonist's psyche and his obsessions, but rather, through their two characters, propose contrasts worth reflecting on: it's a clash between the civilized and the natural world, the realm of reason and logic with that of creation and expression, control versus expression, and ultimately, the masculine world with the feminine. The Southern Storm presents these contrasts and deconstructions through surreal passages and ironic yet subtle humor, which might appear absurd to less receptive viewers."