Heartfelt and accomplished local period-piece film meets the expectations it arouses
Points: 6
Set during World War II, out in the pampas, the Argentine-Brazilian co-production Dolores, written by Roberto Scheuer and directed by Juan Dickinson (Un día en Constitución, Destino anunciado) tells the story of a young, good-looking, and determined Scottish woman (Emilia Attias), who returns to her family ranch in Argentina after the death of her sister. She’s mainly set to take care of her eight-year-old nephew Harry (Felipe Flossdorf), but will also help her brother-in-law Jack (Guillermo Pfening), who’s sinking deep into melancholy as he grieves his wife’s death.
At first, it’s not easy for Dolores to get along with Jack’s sister, Florrie (Mara Bestelli), who’s somewhat jealous and weary of having a new woman in the house. All the more so because Dolores is so attractive. On the other hand, Harry will be actually welcoming and it won’t take that long for Jack to start feeling better.
And when everybody least expects it and in secrecy, an old flame between Dolores and Jack will be rekindled. But when financial difficulties that translate into having to sell the ranch arise, all members of the household will have yet more hardships to endure. Plus the appearance of Octavio Brand (Roberto Birindelli), a rich German-Argentine rancher who not so secretly begins to court Dolores, will also trigger unforeseen, difficult circumstances.
Dolores begins with a flashback from Harry’s point of view as a young man (played by Mateo Flossdorf), who, after going over an old photo album, starts reminiscing about the long-gone days of his childhood at the pampas ranch. And, once the flashback is over, it ends with yet another family photo that may come as a metaphor for part of the drama that took place in between. Such tidy opening and closure are more than appropriate to tell a romantic and dramatic story of love and loss with tints of melodrama, within the mould of a period piece.
But what first strikes you the most about Dolores are the accomplished production values that make it look and sound perfectly credible. No wonder: seasoned cinematographer Miguel Abal (Taxi, un encuentro, La mosca en la ceniza, Violeta se fue a los cielos) beautifully creates the most alluring atmosphere for every scene, always in tune with their emotional edge. Being a torrid love story, Dolores breathes an air of feelings, perfectly accounted for through rich and saturated shades. In turn, renowned sound designer Martín Grignaschi (El color que cayó del cielo, Un novio para mi mujer, Lluvia) immerses viewers into a realm filled with noises and sounds that are not only rightly functional for the story, but above all, they punctuate its dramatic highlights and many turning-points.
Overall, the narrative is fairly well-developed, though it’s only fair to point out that at times it’s a bit too sluggish whereas other times some events happen too abruptly — Frank’s departure to the war feels a bit out of the blue. This slight unevenness does occasionally hamper the otherwise right tempo. Moreover, some characters seem more nuanced than others — for instance, Florrie and Octavio — and not all actors find the same spontaneity throughout the whole movie. Attias and Pfening do have many moments where they excel, yet there are others when their performances feel too rehearsed. Mara Bestelli and Roberto Birindelli don’t need to resort to grand gestures to effortlessly stand out.
Dolores is surely not a perfect feature, but it’s one that does meet quite a few of the expectations it arouses, it’s an improvement over the filmmaker’s previous outings, and most of all it’s a heartfelt, affective love story with a colour of its own.
Production notes
Dolores (Argentina/Brazil, 2016). Directed by Juan Dickinson. Written by Roberto Scheuer. With Emilia Attias, Guillermo Pfening, Mara Bestelli, Roberto Birindelli, Jandir Felipe Flossdorf, Mateo Flossdorf. Cinematography: Miguel Abal. Editing: Cesar Custodio. Running time: 98 minutes.
