Play for Me

Colour, 35mm
Argentina, 2000, 101 min
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

Carlos, the young drummer in a punk rock band, discovers that his adoptive father, Genaro, has died. After the funeral he travels to Los Angeles, his birthplace, a small village deep in the Argentine pampas. But Genaro’s spirit refuses to leave Carlos until the young man has solved the mystery of his origins. Fabiana, a young prostitute, becomes Carlos’ guide in the search for his roots, much to the annoyance of Dalmiro, an aggressive mechanic and Fabiana’s "protector". When the local priest turns up, the story takes a surprising turn. The film uncovers not only unfamiliar places in Argentina’s landscape, but also rediscovers the unknown, original traditional music of the area.

About the director

Rodrigo Fürth, whose family roots connect him to Southern Bohemia and Vienna, spent his childhood travelling with his family across America. When he was ten, the family returned to Buenos Aires and he has remained there ever since. During the military dictatorship he was not able to study film officially, so he and other young people established a film group and studied in secret. He also made several short films during this period. After the return of democracy he spent many years producing feature films and commercials. He also worked as an assistant director. Play for Me is his debut as a feature director.