Strangers in the Park- A Movie Review

Movie- Strangers in the Park

Originally in Spanish

Writers - Juan Jose Campanella and Herb Gardner

Director- Juan Jose Campanella

Actors- Luis Brandoni, Eduardo Blanco, Veronica Pelaccini

Genre- Comedy and drama

When we think of a movie we visualize many locations, different characters, dramatic storyline and a range of plots happening. This is a movie that breaks all movie stereotypes and marches ahead on the strength of its amazing storyline that is simple yet engaging right from the start to the finish. The movie is picturized at a park and the main prop is a bench at the park. The main characters are two oldies who are a sharp contrast to each other and are strangers who get entwined in each other unintentionally and provide us an interesting look at how just two characters can keep us engaged if the storyline is excellent as this one. 

So a  former communist activist and an ordinary family man who have nothing common with each other to speak of meet at a bench in the park and get talking. They meet every day at the park and strike an unlikely friendship. It is interesting to see how they communicate and tell each other about their lives and take the story forward. There are a few mentions of a couple of characters who come and go in between but they are there just fleetingly. The two lead actors are excellent in their respective roles and give us a tutorial on nuanced portrayal of characters. Dialogues are well-written and a class apart. This movie takes a look at the loneliness and isolation of the seniors and how they try to keep their self respect intact in this fast-paced world. The movie is deliberately slow-paced just like its leads and acquaints us with their life stories. A lot of philosophy and political talk included in the daily life tattle that makes us sit up and take notice. 

There is also a beautiful scene of the daughter and her old, ailing father which is well picturized. The story is humane, profound, sad and humorous too. It is surely not a run of the mill kind of movies we come across all the time so it is like a breath of fresh air. The park looks calm and serene and in the midst of it are these golden oldies sharing their stories. They refuse to let their age make them feel any lesser than those around them. The movie is about life and is a mirror to what each one of us has to go through some time later in life as we age. This story of  Leon and Antonio teaches us about the dignity and respect people need irrespective of their age. The story is uplifting and real. It is all about their experiences. What else is life, if not experiences! The movie is an adaptation of a theatrical play that ran for eleven years in Buenos Aires. The conversations are long at times and there are chances of switching of during the political discussions. The lead actors are exemplary and make it worth a watch. I liked it because it is so different from the regular movies we watch and probably that can be the very reason why people may not like the movie. There is no drama, change of location or anything that is visually interesting. For me it was a change of movie experience that I enjoyed.