Agua (2006 film)
Encyclopedia
Agua (2006
) is an Argentine
and French
sports drama film
directed and written by Verónica Chen and Pablo Lago.
The film is centered around a former professional swimming champion returning to old glory in the sport.
. Wrongly accused of doping in the Santa Fe-Coronda Marathon, a 57 kilometer river swim, he has abandoned his career and his dreams.
Eight years later, Goyo returns to Santa Fe
, where the marathon will be held again, to attempt to re-gain his title and clear his name. Goyo is inspired to attempt again after seeing a documentary about 6 fold long distance swimming world champion Edith van Dijk
who plays herself in the movie.
However, long buried emotions come back to haunt him. He meets Chino, a stubborn and disciplined pool swimmer, who tries hard to be selected for the national team, but fails.
, and opened wide in the country on September 21, 2006.
The picture was screened at various film festivals, including: the Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland
; the Warsaw Film Festival, Poland
; the Amiens International Film Festival
, France
; the Oslo International Film Festival, Norway
; and others.
magazine, gave the film a mixed review when reporting from the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival. He wrote, "Pretension swallows up Water, Veronica Chen's shallow follow-up to her fine 2001 debut, Smokers Only. Bookended by a hauntingly atmospheric opening sequence and a finale that makes the central characters' involvement with marathon swimming vivid and physical, the pic has a gaping hole in the middle. Hardly different in basic outline from innumerable recent sports films about outsiders and underdogs turning their lives around, the pic's only twist is an excessively and pointlessly elliptical storytelling gambit. Fest interest will be mild at best for a film with little commercial kick."
Nominations
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
) is an Argentine
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 French
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...
sports drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed and written by Verónica Chen and Pablo Lago.
The film is centered around a former professional swimming champion returning to old glory in the sport.
Plot
Thirty-four-year-old Goyo, a former open water swimming champion, has been hiding out in the desertDesert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
. Wrongly accused of doping in the Santa Fe-Coronda Marathon, a 57 kilometer river swim, he has abandoned his career and his dreams.
Eight years later, Goyo returns to Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
, where the marathon will be held again, to attempt to re-gain his title and clear his name. Goyo is inspired to attempt again after seeing a documentary about 6 fold long distance swimming world champion Edith van Dijk
Edith van Dijk
Edith van Dijk is a Dutch swimmer and 6-fold world champion. She is Holland's most successful open water swimmer and long distance swimmer, whose career started in 1990 taking part in the Dutch IJsselmeermarathon...
who plays herself in the movie.
However, long buried emotions come back to haunt him. He meets Chino, a stubborn and disciplined pool swimmer, who tries hard to be selected for the national team, but fails.
Cast
- Rafael Ferro as Goyo
- Nicolás Mateo as Chino
- Jimena Anganuzzi as Luisa
- Leonora Balcarce as Ana
- Gloria Carrá as Maria
- Edith van DijkEdith van DijkEdith van Dijk is a Dutch swimmer and 6-fold world champion. She is Holland's most successful open water swimmer and long distance swimmer, whose career started in 1990 taking part in the Dutch IJsselmeermarathon...
as herself
Distribution
The drama premiered on April 21, 2006 in Argentina at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent CinemaBuenos 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...
, and opened wide in the country on September 21, 2006.
The picture was screened at various film festivals, including: the Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
; the Warsaw Film Festival, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
; the Amiens International Film Festival
Amiens International Film Festival
The Amiens International Film Festival is an annual special-interest film festival focusing on the cinemas of Europe, Africa and Latin America. The festival has been held annually in Amiens, France, since 1980....
, 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...
; the Oslo International Film Festival, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
; and others.
Critical reception
Robert Koehler, film critic for VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine, gave the film a mixed review when reporting from the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival. He wrote, "Pretension swallows up Water, Veronica Chen's shallow follow-up to her fine 2001 debut, Smokers Only. Bookended by a hauntingly atmospheric opening sequence and a finale that makes the central characters' involvement with marathon swimming vivid and physical, the pic has a gaping hole in the middle. Hardly different in basic outline from innumerable recent sports films about outsiders and underdogs turning their lives around, the pic's only twist is an excessively and pointlessly elliptical storytelling gambit. Fest interest will be mild at best for a film with little commercial kick."
Awards
Wins- Amiens International Film FestivalAmiens International Film FestivalThe Amiens International Film Festival is an annual special-interest film festival focusing on the cinemas of Europe, Africa and Latin America. The festival has been held annually in Amiens, France, since 1980....
, France: SIGNIS Award, Best Film, Verónica Chen; 2006. - Locarno International Film FestivalLocarno International Film FestivalThe Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
, Switzerland: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Verónica Chen; Youth Jury Award: Environment is Quality of Life, Verónica Chen; 2006. - Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor, Best Sound, Martín Grignaschi and Federico Billordo; 2007.
- Málaga Spanish Film Festival, Spain: Silver Biznaga, Best Film, Verónica Chen; 2007.
- Palm Springs International Film FestivalPalm Springs International Film FestivalPalm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
: New Voices/New Visions Special Jury Prize, Best Film, Verónica Chen; 2007.
Nominations
- Locarno International Film Festival: Golden Leopard, Verónica Chen; 2006.
- Marrakech International Film Festival, Morocco: Golden Star, Verónica Chen; 2006.
- Oslo Films from the South Festival: Films from the South Award, Best Feature, Verónica Chen; 2006.
- Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor, Best Cinematography, Sabine Lancelin and Matías Mesa; 2007.
External links
- Agua 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...
- Agua film trailer at You Tube