Jara is a stocky security guard at a suburban Montevideo supermarket. He works the midnight shift attending the cameras that monitor the cleaning crews, as well as the employees that work the late hours. It is a boring job. He keeps busy working the puzzles from the many books he collects, and listening to the heavy metal bands he loves, even wearing tee shirts with their names on them. One day he spots one of the cleaning women backing into a tower of toilet paper. Her supervisor is not amused, but Jara pulls a trick by getting the man to come to the phone on a fictitious call.
Little by little, Jara keeps watching the woman from the monitor, and on the street. He begins a vigil that eventually reveals where she lives. Eventually, he learns her name is Julia. He even goes to a pizzeria where Julia is on a date with a man as heavy as Jara. After dinner, instead of stalking Julia, he goes after the man. Jara is instrumental in getting rid of three punks that are trying to get the money from the man. The grateful guy has a drink with Jara, confessing he had a bad time with the young woman because of her weird taste in music.
Jara gets suspended because in his obsession, he went to look for Julia in the basement, where he thought she might have been having sex with a fellow employee, setting off the sprinkler system on purpose. When he returns to work, Jara finds out Julia and four others were fired. Jara has a fit and goes looking for the woman at her home. She is out at the beach spot where he had seen her in one of his walks. Jara does not know what to do, but plucking his courage, he approaches Julia. To his amazement, she has a smile on her face, as though she had been expecting Jara all the time.
"Gigante" is a delicious comedy from Uruguay. Written and directed by Adrian Biniez, it surprises because it is not pretentious. The ordinary lives of two lonely souls are examined with a light touch that endears the viewer to what is playing on the screen. Jara is voyeur, but not the sexual kind. Julia is a lonely person without anyone to share her life. Looking for possibilities through internet dating brings her closer to Jara without even planning to.
The film depends on Horacio Camandule's performance. His Jara is a character study on a man that has a lot to give, yet, because of his bulk, he is shy to go after any woman. His only alternative is to stalk Julia and hope one day she will look in his direction. Mr. Camandule has expressive blue eyes that light up when watching Julia. Leonor Svarcas, who plays Julia has no dialog, but she makes an impression in the way she carries herself.
This is a small film that needs an appreciative audience it deserves.
Little by little, Jara keeps watching the woman from the monitor, and on the street. He begins a vigil that eventually reveals where she lives. Eventually, he learns her name is Julia. He even goes to a pizzeria where Julia is on a date with a man as heavy as Jara. After dinner, instead of stalking Julia, he goes after the man. Jara is instrumental in getting rid of three punks that are trying to get the money from the man. The grateful guy has a drink with Jara, confessing he had a bad time with the young woman because of her weird taste in music.
Jara gets suspended because in his obsession, he went to look for Julia in the basement, where he thought she might have been having sex with a fellow employee, setting off the sprinkler system on purpose. When he returns to work, Jara finds out Julia and four others were fired. Jara has a fit and goes looking for the woman at her home. She is out at the beach spot where he had seen her in one of his walks. Jara does not know what to do, but plucking his courage, he approaches Julia. To his amazement, she has a smile on her face, as though she had been expecting Jara all the time.
"Gigante" is a delicious comedy from Uruguay. Written and directed by Adrian Biniez, it surprises because it is not pretentious. The ordinary lives of two lonely souls are examined with a light touch that endears the viewer to what is playing on the screen. Jara is voyeur, but not the sexual kind. Julia is a lonely person without anyone to share her life. Looking for possibilities through internet dating brings her closer to Jara without even planning to.
The film depends on Horacio Camandule's performance. His Jara is a character study on a man that has a lot to give, yet, because of his bulk, he is shy to go after any woman. His only alternative is to stalk Julia and hope one day she will look in his direction. Mr. Camandule has expressive blue eyes that light up when watching Julia. Leonor Svarcas, who plays Julia has no dialog, but she makes an impression in the way she carries herself.
This is a small film that needs an appreciative audience it deserves.