Bombón: El Perro
Carlos Sorin
2004, Romikin/Guacamole/OK/Wanda
97 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles
LATAMROB rating: ****
IT IS HARD to explain this movie’s success and why it leaves the filmgoer with such a warm feeling, but there is no doubt that it was a crowd pleaser. Perhaps it is the dog itself, Bombón, who goes walkies with the failing Patagonian petrol station attendant Juan “Coco” Villegas in an engaging road movie with a strong sense of moral direction. Perhaps it was Villegas and Walter Donado as the opportunistic dog trainer, both non-professional actors, who make this movie both believable and engaging. Or perhaps it was the harsh but striking Patagonian landscape that emphasises the main character’s stoical naïvety and resilience. Either way, Bombón: El Perro is a quiet classic that reflects the maturity of Argentine cinema and its subtle, almost effortless capacity to travel across the human, as well as the physical, landscape. – EC
