I can hardly understand why this film is loved, because i really don,t get it, we don,t care about anything, it,s long, slow, and completely boring. Someone will have to explain his popularity to me..
From the director of "Nueve Reinas", here it comes a different movie. Slow pace movie but still very good. Clever plot, excellent direction, perfect script, superb acting, and wonderful cinematography with Argentina's landscapes.
Somber and slow paced thriller about a taxidermist who fantasizes about heists and find himself involved in one. The story unfolds elegantly and music and cinematography are simply haunting.
It's way bad Fabián Bielinsky died (young) after making this film because Le Aura demonstrates clearly that its director has mastered his domain. There are a few puzzling moments in the script and its characters, but this isn't one of those "Don't go in that room!" thrillers, it's old-school/neo noir; quietly intense and full of suspense.
Ricardo Darín's peculiarly charactered performance is executed with such subtlety and nuance that it's hard to believe he's acting. The sound design and original score are beautiful, and so perfect for the film, they seem to be growing out of it rather than being imposed upon it. There are times when the lack of any soundtrack is deafening. The droning tensions and lilting piano ennui disappear, punctuating the moments of action with a moribund silence.
Sometimes I complain when a film ends with such ambiguity it appears to be a copout. But not here. The ending will make you rethink the journey you were just on but it won't devalue its magnificence. This is one of those rare films where the ride is so engaging that its hard to imagine anything but disappointment merely because it does end.
"Aura" is what doctors use to describe the moment before falling into epileptic seizure. Ricardo Darín's character describes it as a moment of pure freedom. The inevitable is so clear that decisions are impossible, hence ... Freedom. Clarity. Bielinsky's film.
im surprised no one has seen this. a fantastic (and final) thriller from the late Fabian Bielinsky about moral ambiguity, fate and free will, and fantasy versus reality. some beautiful music and camera work.
Compared with a David Lynch-movie this one has about half as good atmosphere which is very good. Many scenes includes long moments of silence which makes it pleasant, poetic and completely different from the ordinary Hollowoord-flick where everything are spelled out in big letters. Further on - great acting, intriguing story and wonderful ending. Now I made a promise that I should watch more movies from Fabián Bielinsky.
I had high standards for this film, and honestly I was extremely deceived!
It's okay, but pointless.
There are some nice scenes in the movie where everything seems so calm and poetic, but otherwise I felt like I was wasting precious hours of my existence.
Un toke lok la pela, dificil de entender... al comienzo todo es lento, no hay muxo dialogo, cada expresion del cuerpo, de la cara, cada movimoiento, cada espacio esta lleno de simbolos... la tengo q ver otra vez.
Who the hell wants to watch a movie about an epileptic taxidermist? Maybe other epileptic taxidermists I suppose. What are there? Like 50 of them in the world? That doesn't mean they should get their own freaking movie.
The best part about The Aura is its tone. It is an entirely overcast movie, perpetually threatened by the possibility of rain (on which it never delivers). It seems an appropriate atmosphere for this grim, sad tale of a man who doesn't have much to live for but his heist fantasies.
That same tone, so meticulously crafted and presented, grows almost overbearing at times. The Aura is markedly one-note in its presentation, but it doesn't suffer blatantly for it. It's just that seeing the same grey-green forests and forlorn faces over and over again grows exhausting by the time you've slogged through this two-hour journey.
But for all its heaviness, I didn't really find The Aura hard to watch. Its plot is very simple, which is refreshing; an unadorned plot can do far more in almost any situation than something extremely complex. The Aura, with its bare bones plot and emphasis on tone and character, is quite like a one-man Heaven. It concerns an epileptic taxidermist who dreams about committing a heist and just so happens to stumble into one; in movie tradition, however, things rarely go as planned.
The Aura is thematically complex. There's a lot of allegories and motifs buried in the film, such as the treatment of women, the wolf, fantasy versus reality, and the illusion of control. To find such literate writing in a thriller movie is very refreshing. Expounding on these themes is Ricardo Darin, giving a strong performance as the taxidermist. It's a difficult role to pull off given the character's (and movie's) lack of expression, but Darin keeps things interesting.
A wistful footnote to end Fabian Bielinsky's career, The Aura is something vital and intelligent. While it may bore some people, there's merit to be found in what it does for its genre and performers.
an epileptic taxidermist decides to rob a bank while on a hunting trip. excellent premise to build on. really loved the sound effects that built up to the seizures.
Second and sadly last film by Fabián Bielinsky. a compelling thriller with a great performance by Ricardo Darín, as an epileptic and diffident taxidermist with a strange urge for elaborated heists.
Thiis was supposed to be a masterpiece and, inf act, mainly all of the papers said that. As the last movie of the director, who had a heart attack and died not so long ago, the movie moves in so misterious ways you never know how. Ricardo Darin is the perfect candidate to overtake the movie, he does by far a great job. And the aura they mention on the movie is one of the main effects on the film. A nice movie to watch, not so difficul to understand, beautifully played and with the hell of a director's genious. Too bad the plot wanted to stay quite far away from me. Good news: the atmosphere catched the right spirit of the flick. Elected by Argentina to be the one foreign movies at the Oscars (it seems it didn't succeed that far)
For those who know how to play and those who want to check how it is played. Welcome to Argentina, welcome to the casino era. A pleasent view to see. Hard and cold, warm and effective.
Very simple, calm and quiet movie. Good performances. There's not really much to say, everything takes shape slowly and then... couldn't be a thriller without a couple of good twists... :)
I attempted to see this film on the big screen but it was removed from the schedule at the Arg. Film Festival. I saw it in Argentina recently (bootleg copy, but very good bootleg copy)... The acting was good. I love anything with Ricardo. The movie was good, but I don't know that I enjoyed the ending. I definately recommend it to all foreign movie lovers... I gave it 4 stars cause it's an Argentine film and because it's Ricardo Darin... One of the most enjoyable parts of my trip to Argentina was buying a great selection of Argentine films... Rent the movie!!!
Bielinsky's final film is an atmospheric, hypnotic neo-noir. Filmed with a cold, sequestered look, 'The Aura' is a dreamy examination of a man's criminal fantasies coming to life. The main character's motives are weak, and the pace becomes a test of endurance, even if its purpose is well-meaning. The film takes a risk with its length, by using it for character development rather than an elaborate heist--admirable, but doesn't pay off as well as it could have.
Very hypnotic and alot of fun to just follow this story that draws you in when you have no idea where it's heading, but in the end, what does it all add up to, is there any real substance?
this is a very silent movie.. i'm afraid i couldnt describe this movie well.. it's like being trapped between subconsciousness n reality.. i dont have epilepsy but when i saw Espinosa experiencing the Aura (the transition before u have the attack), i kinda envy him.. i wanna feel the silence, the numbness, the 'nothing'... it almost seems like he's liberated every time he has the aura. the story's original and dark, this is like a dream come true for people that have repressed aggression, reppressed boredom and loneliness, a fairytale for someone who never accomplished anything extraordinary in life.. but it has a bit funny side altho in a moment of crimes.. maybe some will find this movie boring because of the calm ambience but it's a perfect way to tell the whole story.. dark and lonely. just like living in ur mind... Ricardo Darin is an argentinian actor which i consider a winner. his acting is so unique, how he expressed calmness in a state of emergency (well maybe his character has got nothing to lose).. the way he looks, the way he talks, i bet he's got a clear and shining aura himself :)
Brilliantly done, a dark atmosphere combined with great acting and well done direction. A weird story story about crime, opportunity and deep questions all put together with great photography. One of the best argentinian films ever.
At the EIFF 2006 I was expecting more from Fabian's second (and last) movie following his fantastic debut with "Nine Queens". This movie was very average, slow, boring and lacking humour.
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