Family Law (2006)

Excellent, a Must See

Absolutely Fantastic

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

David Burman's 'Derecho De Familia' (or Family Law,as it is being distributed in English speaking countries)is a tale of a young man who has become something of a mirror image of his father,another lawyer. The only difference is that Perelman,Jr.teaches law at the local university (never named),while his father,Perelman,Sr. practices law. Both share an office in a building that has seen better days (and is currently being refurbished,due to a cave in of one of the upper floors,leaving both generations of Perelman's out of work). Perelman Jr. has to try & fake the fact that he is out of work,and makes up any excuse to cover up. His wife is something of a "new age" trainer in Pilates (?). All of this (and more)make for a (so called)comedy that never really goes anywhere (but does try like the dickens to mimic one of those French family based films). David Burman writes & directs this mostly unfunny attempts at a comedy on family values that is obviously influenced by the late,great Francois Truffaut,but falls flat. The cast includes,Daniel Hendler,Julieta Diaz,Arturo Goetz,Eloy Burman & Luis Albornoz. Spoken in Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated by the MPAA,but contains some rude language,adult content & toilet humour.

Daniel Hendler is a splendid actor. Subtle, without any mannerism, he construct his personages with truth. Daniel Burman make movies about subjects he deeply know. More truth. Real life in movies works a lot (that's my opinion...). Argentinian cinema pay attention to his adult public, producing films with a deep perception of actual problems of relationship in family, work, school etc. Every social class is represented in his movies, and all kinds of problems too. Some authors (like Burman, Campanella, Subiela and others) have his trademarks not only on subjects, but in style and approach. Is a great moment for the Argentinean cinema. Family Law is a simple and direct film, but involves the audience as only great movies do. A little masterpiece.

I have looked at seven new films from the video shop during the past week* and found that I liked only one - Family Law - which I watched on Sunday evening. So now, here I am on Monday morning trying to get a little said about this charming little movie before I have to begin, again, my preparations for an influx of relatives arriving mid-week in celebration of the commencement of my niece's husband from Catholic University Law School.I guess it is a bit of an irony that this film deals with family relationships considering its arrival in my life at this particular point in time. The relationships - particularly between fathers and sons - explored in Family Law are loving but sometimes painfully distant. The film is narrated by the son who experiences, by the end of the film, recognition of what it means to be a father and a son for in the film we see three generation of Perelmans. The grandfather is a popular attorney who doesn't shy away from shady deals. He has an "in" almost everywhere in the system and uses it to the advantage of his clients. The son - Ariel, our narrator - is also a lawyer and professor of law who holds ethics as his highest esteem.Ariel becomes attracted to a student in one of his classes and sets out to woo her. Ironically, he is finally able to do so by seeking his father's help in a law suit in which his love is involved.Skip ahead a couple of years and Ariel is now a father but not a very good one. His approach to child rearing is like something out of the 1950's. Through a series of circumstances, Ariel comes to fully appreciate his father and gain the knowledge of how to be a better father himself.This is a story that has been told and retold, so what's so special about this film? It's the acting and direction. Daniel Hendler plays Ariel with quiet introspection to reveal emotions both painful and joyous. The charming, exuberant grandfather is played by Arturo Goetz giving us a man we have to love even though some of his dealings are not exactly kosher. The grandson has a face that makes you want to go, "Ahhhhhh." He is played by Eloy Burman. I could not find whether or not he is related to the director.The women in the lives of these three are Ariel's wife, Sandra, and the grandfather's secretary, Norita. Sandra - played by Julieta Díaz - is a modern woman who doesn't give much quarter to her husband's quirks (such as sleeping fully dressed with tie and all) and his failures at being a better father to their son. Adriana Aizemberg gives a heartfelt and touching performance as Norita, the loyal secretary.I had worked really hard all day Sunday in preparation of the coming "invasion" but was then treated to this great little flick. It was the perfect reward for me. I think that you, too, would find this film rewarding.*For those who wonder, the seven were Fun Down There, Short Stack, Does God Exist?, The Dead Girl, The Fountain, Seraphim Falls, and Family Law.

I saw this movie being shown in a Jewish film festival. Apart from the fact that two of the characters are supposed to be Jewish there is nothing Jewish about it. Nor did there seem to be anything very Argentinian about it. None of the characters is really fleshed out and there is no genuine character development or much by way of plot development. There are little items in the dialogue or glances by the camera that you feel may lead somewhere but never do. For example the lead character's baby sitter goes to sleep in his bed one night - so? Other things just don't gel - his father turns out to have had some terminal illness and is supposedly somehow preparing him to take over the law practice but shows no signs whatsoever of ill health and dies suddenly of unexplained cause - no hospitalisation, no nothing. The presumed main theme of the movie - a father learning to be a better father to his infant son is never really convincingly portrayed. Altogether this is a boring movie about fairly boring lives. My two rating stars are for the production values which are reasonable and the female lead who is quite pretty.