Day 3 - Bridalplasty

My day started out the way most days start. I was hungry for breakfast. I threw on yesterday's clothes and walked up and down the Avenue Colón looking for a cafe. Nothing. So I walked one block over, to Avenue Peralta Ramos, and found the Restaurant Via Veneto. As a student of Italian cinema, I knew this name would be a good omen.

I was right. The main building sits like all of the others on the boulevard, set in past the wide walkway. But there is also a second building, a glass room with six tables, with seating for thirty. When I sat and, nervously, ordered my omelet de jamon y queso, I was overwhelmed by the smell of calamari. "I must make an effort to eat sea creatures more often," I noted. The omelet was wonderful.


I went back and cleaned myself, and watched TV while I decided what films to go to. I stumbled upon a strange American reality show, Bridalplasty. From what I could gather, it is a show where engaged women do embarrassing challenges to earn plastic surgery. How marvellous.

Just as being in a relationship is often more conducive to learning about yourself rather than your partner, going to another country is often a way to learn about your homeland. I remember when I was traveling in India, this was especially true, as I felt so connected to the US and its values while I was there. Here, I am learning about American TV - and it is frightening.

I watched two films. First, a Greek film, MINOR FREEDOMS. It was in Greek with Spanish subtitles, so I didn't really understand much. But what I did understand was a gruesome tale of violent incest. I have never seen so many walk-outs. It was amazing. There was also a scene in a slaughterhouse, with a graphic moment of a cow being bled to death, and then a sex scene on the liquid-covered floor. This film is definitely not for humans to watch. It was probably the most upsetting thing I've ever seen. I also saw an American film I like quite a bit, THE COLOR WHEEL. It is fascinating to see how foreigners react to American films that are dialogue heavy. This was like a test-run in some ways for tomorrow's screening of my film.

After the film, I had my first extended conversation in Spanish. An old man came up to me and talked about the film, and went on and on. He knew I didn't quite understand, but I tried my best and it went surprisingly better than I imagined. Still, it was tough. At one point I thought he said my clothes were beautiful. I grabbed my shirt to confirm, and he said, "Oh, yes, you are beautiful too." So we clearly weren't communicating.

I had to rush after THE COLOR WHEEL to do a radio interview on Rock & Pop 98.9. The interviewer asked me questions in Spanish, then in English, I answered in English and then he translated in Spanish. It was great. At one point I mentioned that we will probably put the film online for free. He said that was a forbidden phrase, and asked me to explain why it would be OK to do that. I became very passionate and explained why independent films need to create new models, and how money is the least of our concerns. I felt like a revolutionary.


I had dinner with Alex and the cast/crew of DIABLO. What a raucous time it was. We had beer and fries with cheese on it, and they were so loud. They kept standing up and toasting. It was like nothing I've ever been a part of. "Amigo!" they kept saying, and grabbing my shoulders. It was like a romantic fraternity.


We went back to the cinema and watched a screening of REPO MAN. It was late, and we went to our hotels. Another day in Argentina spent, and my International Premiere is less than 24 hours away.