El Ultimo Verano de la Boyita (The Last Summer of La Boyita)

The second film by Julia Solomonoff is quite good as a movie and especially because of a story that slowly will grab your attention, will make you wonder what’s going on, guessing if is like another Argentinean movie, XXY, or maybe is not; but most of all will take you back to a time that stood still in the Argentinean Pampas where German immigrants take care of farms that belong to city dwellers and working life absorbe them up to the point that education, caring and/or paying attention to your child becomes a lesser priority in the eyes of us, viewers, and in the eyes of those that visit them. Very interesting story that director and writer developed inspired on a true story she heard when she was about Jorgelina’s age.

Film tells about young Jorgelina that feels estranged from her not much older sister that’s becoming a “woman” because just started to menstruate, has become more interested in boys and doesn’t want to play with her anymore. So that summer her sister leaves to the beach with their mother and Jorgelina goes to the countryside farm with her father. Is a summer that young Jorgelina will never forget as her lifelong friend Mario, abandoned school to help this father -who is in charge of the farm- and is undergoing unexpected changes. You have no idea what happens and I’m not going to tell so you can follow the tension that in my opinion is really well built to keep you wondering what’s going on with Mario.

In a way is a simple story about typical ignorance that still predominates in the countryside of many Latin American countries, not only among workers but also among professionals that not explain better to parents about the urgency of whatever their children have. Anyway I felt tension for not knowing what was going on, but this is not a thriller as is the opposite where story is told very slowly, with nothing dramatic happening, very much alike to what used to be countryside life in the seventies and before. Very good performances by Guadalupe Alonso (Jorgelina), Nicolás Treise (Mario) and Treise’s real-life mother Mirella Pascual performing Mario’s mother make the story and film not only very believable but also quite interesting to watch.

Co-produced by Almodovar’s El Deseo company the film traveled mainstream and LGBT film festivals circuit collecting some honors like Special Jury Award at 2010 Sofia fest and was in competition for the Golden Alexander at 2009 Thessaloniki fest, as was selection in festivals like BFI London Lesbian & Gay fest, Frameline 34, Gaze Dublin LG fest, etc. Is a film that has some LGBT interest, but absolutely is not your regular movie in the genre.

I’ve been trying not to give away any spoilers as strongly recommend you watch film not knowing much about the story –like I did- as believe is the only way you will feel the tension I felt. I strongly recommend to not miss this movie that could surprise you with its freshness and simplicity while touching a very complex subject.

I liked this movie a lot more than I ever imagined and even when has great outdoors cinematography, story was what really grabbed my total attention.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC