neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Valentin
	Alejandro Agresti Rodrigo Noya, Julieta Cardinali, Carmen Maura, Jean Pierre Noher, Mex Urtizbeream, Alejandro Agresti, Carlos Roffé 2002		One might be inclined to say that if you've seen "Monsieur Ibrahim" or "Central Station," you've already seen better versions of "Valentin." All of 'em feature yearning, wise-beyond-their-years or disenfranchised urchins from France, Brazil or wherever, getting mentored or rescued by reluctant elders who yield to their protective or nurturing sides. "Valentin" is a harmless, small-scale, partly autobiographical tragicomedy, courtesy of writer/director/actor Alejandro Agresti. The title character — a resourceful, cross-eyed eight-year-old boy played by tolerable child actor Rodrigo Noya — is almost too adorable to take. He lives with his vinegary grandma (Carmen Maura) in Buenos Aires during the 1960s, and longs for his absent mother and father, or reasonable facsimiles. Mama disappeared, and when Valentin's dad (Agresti) manages to visit, it's a cursory affair. Papa is more concerned with the latest woman in his life than with his son. So Valentin finds companionship where he can. Against Granny's wishes, the lonely boy befriends a local music teacher with a tendency to booze it up. Valentin, seeking a mother figure, also attaches himself to his father's current girlfriend Leticia (a stunning Julieta Cardinali), a chic younger woman bemused by her mini-suitor. The charming and the mawkish co-mingle in "Valentin."