Un Día de Suerte
Encyclopedia
A Lucky Day is a 2002 Argentine
and Italian
film directed by Sandra Gugliotta
, her first feature film, and written by Gugliotta and Marcelo Schapces. In Argentina it's also known as Lo que buscas es amor. The executive producer was Marcelo Schapces, and produced by Sandra Gugliotta and Fernando Merinero.
It features Valentina Bassi
as Elsa. The theme of this docudrama
is the economic turmoil and unemployment among the young in Argentina
that occurred from 1999-2002. The film won two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival
: the Caligari Film Award and the Don Quixote Award.
), a 25-year-old woman who barely makes a living as a promotional girl on the streets in Buenos Aires, commits minor crimes, like stealing from her boss' wallet, in order to survive. As a promotional girl, she does what can be considered humiliating work: handing out flyers for "anti-stress" tablets for motorists and pedestrians, dressing up in odd outfits for fast-food restaurants, and the like.
During the film, protests take place in the streets of Buenos Aires but Elsa ignores them. Included are documentary-like
scenes of the 2001 riots that seem shot by a hand-held camera. She dreams of fleeing her impoverished country and traveling to Italy
where a former "boyfriend", whom she had a one-night stand with several months before, left for better opportunities. This is ironic because her anarchist
grandfather (Darío Víttori) left Italy and came to Argentina to escape poverty (he still has anti-establishment views) years ago. Her boyfriend Walter (Fernán Mirás
) protests the trip, yet, her grandfather urges her to follow her heart. Her dream is mostly a fantasy she has in order to ameliorate the stress of surviving during Argentina's economic troubles.
Un día de suerte was shot in Buenos Aires during the riots of 2000 when political unrest was at its highest. Blackouts were also a common occurrence and street crimes occurred often.
It was screened at various film festivals, including: the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
; the Sydney Film Festival
, Australia
; the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Czech Republic
; the Toronto Film Festival, Canada
; the AFI Film Festival, USA; the Angers Film Festival, France
; and others.
, liked how the characters were developed by Sandra Gugliotta, and wrote, "Although Elsa endures grim circumstances and resorts to desperate measures, the spirit of conviction and a belief in oneself, make this ultimately a warm, life-affirming film. As Gugliotta says, her film 'speaks of dreams, of the possibility and the struggle to fulfill a dream. And it also speaks of good people, of social barriers, and of roots.'"
Some critics felt the film's theme, that is, economic deprivation, did not go far enough. David Walsh, writing for the World Socialist web site wrote, "Again, without being given some sense of the historical circumstances which account for the present state of mind, one cannot go very far. The film lacks the 'pathos of distance.' A Lucky Day raises interesting questions, but does not go terribly deeply into them. The scenes of the working class kids strike one as a bit false and stereotyped, a middle class notion of what such young people are like."
Nominations
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...
and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
film directed by Sandra Gugliotta
Sandra Gugliotta
Sandra Gugliotta is an Argentine film director, screenplay writer, and producer.According to film critic Joel Poblete, who writes for Mabuse, a cinema magazine, Sandra Gugliotta is one of the members of the so-called "New Argentina Cinema" which began c...
, her first feature film, and written by Gugliotta and Marcelo Schapces. In Argentina it's also known as Lo que buscas es amor. The executive producer was Marcelo Schapces, and produced by Sandra Gugliotta and Fernando Merinero.
It features Valentina Bassi
Valentina Bassi
Valentina Bassi is an Argentine film and television actress.Born in Trelew, Chubut Province, two of the recent films she starred in as the lead, Un Día de suerte and El Boquete , have been well received critically....
as Elsa. The theme of this docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
is the economic turmoil and unemployment among the young in Argentina
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...
that occurred from 1999-2002. The film won two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
: the Caligari Film Award and the Don Quixote Award.
Plot
In 2000, Elsa (Valentina BassiValentina Bassi
Valentina Bassi is an Argentine film and television actress.Born in Trelew, Chubut Province, two of the recent films she starred in as the lead, Un Día de suerte and El Boquete , have been well received critically....
), a 25-year-old woman who barely makes a living as a promotional girl on the streets in Buenos Aires, commits minor crimes, like stealing from her boss' wallet, in order to survive. As a promotional girl, she does what can be considered humiliating work: handing out flyers for "anti-stress" tablets for motorists and pedestrians, dressing up in odd outfits for fast-food restaurants, and the like.
During the film, protests take place in the streets of Buenos Aires but Elsa ignores them. Included are documentary-like
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
scenes of the 2001 riots that seem shot by a hand-held camera. She dreams of fleeing her impoverished country and traveling to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
where a former "boyfriend", whom she had a one-night stand with several months before, left for better opportunities. This is ironic because her anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
grandfather (Darío Víttori) left Italy and came to Argentina to escape poverty (he still has anti-establishment views) years ago. Her boyfriend Walter (Fernán Mirás
Fernán Mirás
Fernán Mirás is an Argentine film and television actor. He is sometimes credited as Fernando Mirás.-Filmography :* Tango feroz * Buenos Aires Vice Versa * Claim...
) protests the trip, yet, her grandfather urges her to follow her heart. Her dream is mostly a fantasy she has in order to ameliorate the stress of surviving during Argentina's economic troubles.
Cast
- Valentina BassiValentina BassiValentina Bassi is an Argentine film and television actress.Born in Trelew, Chubut Province, two of the recent films she starred in as the lead, Un Día de suerte and El Boquete , have been well received critically....
as Elsa - Claudio Gallardou as Alejandro
- Fernán MirásFernán MirásFernán Mirás is an Argentine film and television actor. He is sometimes credited as Fernando Mirás.-Filmography :* Tango feroz * Buenos Aires Vice Versa * Claim...
as Walter - Lola BerthetLola BerthetLola Berthet is an Argentine actress.Berthet began acting at a young age, in her hometown of Buenos Aires, eventually becoming a well known telenovela actress in her home country as an adult. She made her first feature film, , in 2000...
as Laura - Darío Víttori as Abuelo
- Jesús Berenguer as Franco
- Damián De Santo as Toni
- Nicolás Mateo as Erasmo
- Claudia Lapacó as Madre
- Luis Luque as Hernando
- María Laura Cali as Claudia
- Mario Paolucci as Arístides
Basis of film
The film's backdrop is the economic crisis Argentina faced from 1999-2002. The poverty rate of Argentina grew from an already high 35.9% in May 2001 to a peak of 57.5% in October 2002. In addition, the May 2000 unemployment rate was 15.4%; it climbed to 18.3% in December 2001.Un día de suerte was shot in Buenos Aires during the riots of 2000 when political unrest was at its highest. Blackouts were also a common occurrence and street crimes occurred often.
Distribution
The film was first featured at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 22, 2002. It opened in Argentina on April 25, 2002.It was screened at various film festivals, including: the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
The Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the month of April, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.The festival is managed by the Ministerio de Cultura del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, it is not...
; the Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
, 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 Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
; the Toronto Film Festival, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; the AFI Film Festival, USA; the Angers Film Festival, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; and others.
Critical reception
Clare Norton-Smith, writing for the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, liked how the characters were developed by Sandra Gugliotta, and wrote, "Although Elsa endures grim circumstances and resorts to desperate measures, the spirit of conviction and a belief in oneself, make this ultimately a warm, life-affirming film. As Gugliotta says, her film 'speaks of dreams, of the possibility and the struggle to fulfill a dream. And it also speaks of good people, of social barriers, and of roots.'"
Some critics felt the film's theme, that is, economic deprivation, did not go far enough. David Walsh, writing for the World Socialist web site wrote, "Again, without being given some sense of the historical circumstances which account for the present state of mind, one cannot go very far. The film lacks the 'pathos of distance.' A Lucky Day raises interesting questions, but does not go terribly deeply into them. The scenes of the working class kids strike one as a bit false and stereotyped, a middle class notion of what such young people are like."
Awards
Wins- Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
: Caligari Film Award; Don Quixote Award - Special Mention; both for Sandra Gugliotta; 2002. - Ankara Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival: FIPRESCIFIPRESCIThe International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Prize; Sandra Gugliotta; 2002.
Nominations
- Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor; Best Actress, Valentina Bassi; Best First Film, Sandra Gugliotta; Best Supporting Actress, Lola Berthet; 2003.
- Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent CinemaBuenos Aires International Festival of Independent CinemaThe Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the month of April, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.The festival is managed by the Ministerio de Cultura del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, it is not...
: Best Film, Sandra Gugliotta; 2002. - Goya AwardsGoya AwardsThe Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards....
: Goya; Best Spanish Language Foreign Film, Sandra Gugliotta; 2003. - Miami Latin Film Festival: Golden Egret Best Film; Sandra Gugliotta; 2003.
External links
- Un día de suerte at the 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...
- Un día de suerte film trailer at You Tube