The Other

Colour, 35 mm
Argentina, France, Germany, 2007, 83 min
Section: Horizons

About the film

Juan Desouza, a middle-aged lawyer, finds himself at a critical junction, aware that he has become well and truly anchored in the life allotted to him. As a prospective father, he is trying to discover who he is, while, at the same time, toying with the idea of escaping not only from his new responsibilities, but also from the rut of his profession and his destiny. One day an ordinary business trip unexpectedly throws an opportunity into his lap. On this journey he learns that the life he lives was never meant to be the only option. He assumes a different identity and finds himself a free man. He has no obligations whatsoever. He knows no-one, and no-one knows him. He even gets the chance to attend his own funeral. But this isn’t his only encounter with death, and fear of his own mortality finds Juan confronted with new existential knowledge... The main role in the film was written expressly for Julio Chávez, the star of the film El custodio, screened at the 41st Karlovy Vary IFF.

About the director

Ariel Rotter (b. 1971, Buenos Aires) was awarded a grant to attend the prestigious film school Universidad del Cine in Argentina, where he studied screenwriting, photography, dramatic art and art history. By the time he graduated, he already had several short 16mm films to his name which brought him a series of awards. His filmography includes the shorts Alma, Al payaso, Espectros and Asesina. In 2001 the Berlin IFF premiered his feature debut Sólo por hoy (Just for Today), a mosaic of five stories about young people in contemporary Buenos Aires, now on the list of new wave Argentine films. The film won 15 awards at various international festivals (screened at the Karlovy Vary IFF in 2001 in the Forum of Independents), it enjoyed huge success both with the critics and audiences, and was also sent into distribution in Europe and the USA. The film The Other is Rotter’s second film. He is currently working on the documentary Chaco.