Indy Film Fest 2012: AFICIONADOS

Guest post by  Rebecca Masbaum
Bio: Social Media over-sharer, life & style blogger, and a natural red-head. I'm obsessed with my bike, food, and grammatical correctness.

Watching a movie with subtitles can take the challenge of comprehending a movie to a new level. I admit, I am one of those strange people that enjoy watching movies with subtitles. I enjoy the challenge of essentially reading the book while watching the movie. Aficionados was enjoyable for reasons beyond this small challenge.

Aficionados is a small-budget film. It could be argued that it was so low-budget, they could not afford a script. That’s right – the entire dialogue of the film is improvised – ad-libbed, made-up! Piecing together the best parts from what was undoubtedly innumerable takes, director (and star) Arturo Dueñas created one surprisingly good film! 

Individuals from a variety of backgrounds join a group ostensibly to learn to make friends and to gain confidence, but to also face their own self-doubts. These misfits immediately grab your heart and keep your attention throughout the movie, as you’re unable to turn away from each of their awkward anti-socializing quirks. Co-workers become friends; a single mom learns to stand up for herself; a silent man finds his voice. Particularly enjoyable for me was watching Arturo, a librarian and hopeful author, grow through his experiences with the group. He is poignantly sad – with such sad luck – it’s good to see him have some good luck and gusto in the end. In fact, everyone wins in the end. It might be a bit campy, but I was happy with a happy ending.

If you’ve shied away from viewing foreign films before, Aficionados is a good one for you to branch out on. It’s a relatable plot, where the characters learn to write their own stories, and to happen to life instead of letting life happen to them.

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AFICIONADOS
Arturo Dueñas 2010
Categories: World Cinema Features

View the trailer:

The 9th annual Indianapolis International Film Festival features more than 100 films in 10 days. July 19-29 at IMA and Earth House. See the entire 2012 line up!