Fuckland
Encyclopedia
Fuckland is an Argentine
comedy-drama
film
. It was written and directed by José Luis Márques. The picture was executive produced by Diego Dubcovsky
, and produced by Edi Flehner and Mariano Suez.
The film was shot on digital video
and is the first Latin America
n film to follow the avant garde Dogme 95
movement minimalist guidelines.
between Argentina and the United Kingdom
for the control of the Falkland Islands
in the South Atlantic Ocean
.
The film tells of Fabián Stratas, a magician and stand-up comedian
from Buenos Aires
, who saves his money from weddings, birthdays, and bar mitzvahs, and uses a hidden camera to document a week-long trip to the Falkland Islands, (or "Fuckland", as he calls them), where he has an ingenious Argentine patriotic plan: to impregnate a Falklander woman.
Stratas has a theory: if only 500 Argentines did the same each year, the islands would soon be overrun with half-Argentines, and he would be the head of a "sexual invasion." Brilliant idea, he thinks.
He spends his first couple of days on the island doing reconnaissance, and soon sets his eyes on Camila Heaney, whom he first saw in church.
He chats her up at an Internet café and then they go out for drinks, which is followed by dinner. They also take a field trip to see the King penguins and the 1982 battlefield.
Fabian has initial success, getting to have sex with Camila twice, first in his hotel room and then on the beach. He succeeds and manages to impregnate her before leaving for Buenos Aires, cocky and happy for having achieved his goal and duped his lover. However, Heaney gets the last word, making a videotape on Fabian's camera where she denounces him as the shallow, condescending and self-centered man he is. After this, the camera shows Stratas, unfazed by Camila's anger, taking a shower while singing the Charly García
cover of the Argentine National Anthem
.
in 1999, and was made without the permission of the local government.
The film features only seven professional actors. They improvised their scenes with local residents, who were not made aware that they were taking part in the production of a feature film.
Actress Camilla Heaney was not told of Stratas' motivations for their romance before their scenes were shot.
The picture did break a few of the Dogme 95
guidelines: the use of digital video format, as opposed to Academy 35mm format, the use of music and the directorial credit given to José Luis Marques.
Filming locations
The film was filmed on location in Stanley, Falkland Islands
.
The film opened wide in Argentina on September 21, 2000.
The film was presented at various film festivals, including: the London Film Festival
, London
, England
; the Jeonju Film Festival, South Korea
; the Melbourne International Film Festival
, Australia
; the Flanders International Film Festival, Belgium
; and the Sundance Film Festival
, Utah in 2001.
The Village Voice's Amy Taubin thought the film was not noteworthy on any level, writing, "Fuckland is less interesting for its adherence to the Dogme rules than as a failed attempt at director José Luis Márques's project of 'Real Fiction Filmmaking'...Unfortunately, the fictional premise of Fuckland is so absurd, it doomed the enterprise from the start."
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. It was written and directed by José Luis Márques. The picture was executive produced by Diego Dubcovsky
Diego Dubcovsky
Diego Dubcovsky is an Argentine film producer, production manager, and production designer.He works in the cinema of Argentina....
, and produced by Edi Flehner and Mariano Suez.
The film was shot on digital video
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
and is the first Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n film to follow the avant garde Dogme 95
Dogme 95
Dogme 95 was an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". These were rules to create filmmaking based on the traditional values of story, acting, and theme, and...
movement minimalist guidelines.
Plot
The film takes place decades after the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
between Argentina and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for the control of the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
in the South Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
The film tells of Fabián Stratas, a magician and stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
from Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, who saves his money from weddings, birthdays, and bar mitzvahs, and uses a hidden camera to document a week-long trip to the Falkland Islands, (or "Fuckland", as he calls them), where he has an ingenious Argentine patriotic plan: to impregnate a Falklander woman.
Stratas has a theory: if only 500 Argentines did the same each year, the islands would soon be overrun with half-Argentines, and he would be the head of a "sexual invasion." Brilliant idea, he thinks.
He spends his first couple of days on the island doing reconnaissance, and soon sets his eyes on Camila Heaney, whom he first saw in church.
He chats her up at an Internet café and then they go out for drinks, which is followed by dinner. They also take a field trip to see the King penguins and the 1982 battlefield.
Fabian has initial success, getting to have sex with Camila twice, first in his hotel room and then on the beach. He succeeds and manages to impregnate her before leaving for Buenos Aires, cocky and happy for having achieved his goal and duped his lover. However, Heaney gets the last word, making a videotape on Fabian's camera where she denounces him as the shallow, condescending and self-centered man he is. After this, the camera shows Stratas, unfazed by Camila's anger, taking a shower while singing the Charly García
Charly García
Charly García is a singer-songwriter, pianist and keyboardist from Argentina with a long career in rock music, forming successful groups such as Sui Generis and Serú Girán, cult status groups like La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, and as a solo musician.-Early years:Charly García was the eldest son in...
cover of the Argentine National Anthem
Argentine National Anthem
The Argentine National Anthem is the national anthem of Argentina. The name of the song originally was Marcha Patriótica , and was later renamed Canción Patriótica Nacional and finally Canción Patriótica . A copy published in 1847 called it Himno Nacional Argentino and the name has remained ever...
.
Background
The picture was recorded illegally in the Falkland IslandsFalkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
in 1999, and was made without the permission of the local government.
The film features only seven professional actors. They improvised their scenes with local residents, who were not made aware that they were taking part in the production of a feature film.
Actress Camilla Heaney was not told of Stratas' motivations for their romance before their scenes were shot.
The picture did break a few of the Dogme 95
Dogme 95
Dogme 95 was an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". These were rules to create filmmaking based on the traditional values of story, acting, and theme, and...
guidelines: the use of digital video format, as opposed to Academy 35mm format, the use of music and the directorial credit given to José Luis Marques.
Filming locations
The film was filmed on location in Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...
.
Distribution
The producers used the following taglines to market the film:- A clandestine movie.
- Una película clandestina .
The film opened wide in Argentina on September 21, 2000.
The film was presented at various film festivals, including: the London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; the Jeonju Film Festival, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
; the Melbourne International Film Festival
Melbourne International Film Festival
The Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; the Flanders International Film Festival, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
; and the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, Utah in 2001.
Critical reception
The film was hit hard by critics. While some called it subversive and libelous, others like critic Christopher Null thought it boring. He wrote, "While a few of our hero's 'smooth moves' are mildly entertaining, most of the film is filled with the monotony of his daily rituals. He does a few magic tricks, gets a haircut, brushes his teeth, takes a piss. Some of this is in focus. Fuckland indeed."The Village Voice's Amy Taubin thought the film was not noteworthy on any level, writing, "Fuckland is less interesting for its adherence to the Dogme rules than as a failed attempt at director José Luis Márques's project of 'Real Fiction Filmmaking'...Unfortunately, the fictional premise of Fuckland is so absurd, it doomed the enterprise from the start."
External links
- Fuckland at cinenacional.comCinenacional.comCinenacional.com is a web portal and web-based database about Argentine cinema.The site provides a vast array of information, including: films, television programs, directors, actors, cinematographers, film editors, production designers, and other production professions in Argentina...
- Fuckland review at Cineismo by Guillermo Ravaschino
- Fuckland film clip at You Tube