The Weasel's Tale
| The Weasel's Tale | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | El cuento de las comadrejas |
| Directed by | Juan José Campanella |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Yesterday's Guys Used No Arsenic by José Martínez Suárez & Augusto Giustozzi |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by | Juan José Campanella |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
The Weasel's Tale (Spanish: El cuento de las comadrejas) is a 2019 Argentine-Spanish black comedy film directed by Juan José Campanella starring Graciela Borges, Oscar Martínez, Luis Brandoni and Marcos Mundstock alongside Clara Lago and Nicolás Francella. It is a remake of 1976 film Yesterday's Guys Used No Arsenic.
Plot[edit]
The plot follows four aged people living in an old mansion (Mara, Pedro and Martín and Norberto), all of them professionally related to the showbiz (respectively lead actress, bit-part actor, screenwriter and director) and how they deal with the arrival of the young Bárbara and Francisco, who are real estate developers wanting to purchase the plot.
Cast[edit]
- Graciela Borges as Mara Ordaz[1]
- Oscar Martínez as Norberto Imbert[1]
- Luis Brandoni as Pedro de Córdova[1]
- Marcos Mundstock as Martín Saravia[1]
- Clara Lago as Bárbara Otamendi[1]
- Nicolás Francella as Francisco Gourmand[1]
Production[edit]
The screenplay was penned by Juan José Campanella and Darren Kloomok, remaking the 1976 black comedy Yesterday's Guys Used No Arsenic, directed by José Martínez Suárez and written by Martínez Suárez alongside Augusto Giustozzi.[2][3] A co-production among Argentine and Spanish companies, it was produced by 100 Bares, Telefe & Viacom, Jempsa S.A., Tornasol and Canarias cinema 01, and it had the participation of RTVE and Movistar+.[2][4]
Release[edit]
Distributed by BF Paris,[5] the film was theatrically released in Argentina on 16 May 2019.[6] Distributed by Syldavia Cinema,[4] it was theatrically released in Spain on 12 July 2019.[7]
Reception[edit]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an aggregated score of 92% based on 22 positive and 2 negative critic reviews.[8]
Adrian Melo of Página|12 considered that the film "misses the homoerotic provocation and sexual ambiguity of the original version" offering instead "a fable with too many morals and a whiff of social darwinism".[9]
Beatriz Martínez of El Periódico de Catalunya rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing that Campanella directs "a twisted, bizarre and macabre story where he reflects human miseries".[10]
Andrea G. Bermejo of Cinemanía also gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, underscoring it to be "a black comedy that shines much more in the script than in the direction", also considering that even if predictable, the ending is "no less enjoyable".[11]
Jonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter presented the film as a "slickly calibrated, classically structured dark comedy" summing up as a bottom-line "old-fashioned fare with an up-to-date edge".[12]
Accolades[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 7th Platino Awards | Best Director | Juan José Campanella | Nominated | [13][14] |
| Best Actress | Graciela Borges | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Emilio Kauderer | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | José Luis Díaz | Nominated | |||
| 14th Sur Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [15][16] | ||
| Best Director | Juan José Campanella | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Graciela Borges | Won | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Juan José Campanella, Darren Kloomok | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Nelson Luty | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Cecilia Monti | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup | Osvaldo Esperón, Sylvie Imbert, Beatushka Wojtowicz | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Félix Chango Monti | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | José Luis Diaz | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Juan José Campanella | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Emilio Kauderer | Nominated | |||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f "El cuento de las comadrejas". Catálogo de Cinespañol. ICAA. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ a b Silvestre, Juan (22 May 2019). "'El cuento de las comadrejas': cartel, en primicia, de lo nuevo de Juan José Campanella". Fotogramas.
- ^ Hortiguera, Hugo (2019). "El camino de Sísifo y la nostalgia reflexiva en el cine de Juan José Campanella" [The path of Sisyphus and the reflective nostalgia in the cinema of Juan José Campanella] (PDF). Dixit (31): 45. doi:10.22235/d.v0i31.1820.
- ^ a b "'El cuento de las comadrejas' – estreno en cines 12 de julio". Audiovisual451. 8 July 2019.
- ^ Domínguez Prost, Micaela (30 May 2019). "La gran batalla: estrenos argentinos de abril y mayo le dan pelea a las producciones y distribuidoras extranjeras". Latam Cinema.
- ^ Scholz, Pablo O. (20 August 2019). "Películas más vistas. La odisea de los giles: un éxito sin precedentes para el cine argentino reciente". Clarín.
- ^ "Campanella, Darín, "El Marginal 3" y más". El Tribuno. 19 March 2020.
- ^ "The Weasels Tale". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ Melo, Adrian (7 June 2019). "Veneno lavado". Página|12.
- ^ Martínez, Beatriz (11 July 2019). "'El cuento de las comadrejas', la lucha por la supervivencia". El Periódico de Catalunya.
- ^ Bermejo, Andrea G. (8 July 2019). "El cuento de las comadrejas". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ Holland, Jonathan (23 July 2019). "'The Weasel's Tale' ('El Cuento de las Comadrejas'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "'La trinchera infinita', 'Dolor y gloria' y 'Mientras dure la guerra' encabezan las nominaciones finales a los séptimos Premios PLATINO Xcaret". Audiovisual451. 18 March 2020.
- ^ "'Dolor y gloria' y 'La casa de papel', las grandes triunfadoras de los Premios Platino 2020". ¡Hola!. 29 June 2020.
- ^ ""Los sonámbulos", con 14 candidaturas, es la película más nominada para los Premios Sur". GPS Audiovisual.
- ^ ""Los sonámbulos" buscará una lugar para Argentina en el Oscar". Río Negro. 25 November 2020.