FILM

Argentina/Spain 2011 86 mins Subtitles Dir: Pablo Giorgelli Starring: German de Silva, Hebe Durate

An incident-free road movie that won its Argentinean director the Camera D'Or at Cannes, the slight, slow, dialogue-lite 'Las Acacias' contains so many lengthy scenes of driving along in silence that the uncharmed may begin to wonder whether they're experiencing the lengthy journey from rural Paraguay to Buenos Aires in real time.

We first meet stubbly, taciturn, middle-aged trucker Ruben (veteran character actor German de Silva) as he collects a load of lumber in Paraguay and sets out on the journey south. Along the way, he stops to pick up a young woman (Durate), apparently by prior arrangement. What he clearly wasn't expecting was that she'd be accompanied by a five-month-old child. Ruben is obviously a solitary type who would much rather be making the trip alone. He's also uncomfortable with small talk. It takes 30 screen minutes before he asks his companion her name. Turns out she's called Jacinta, her sister works for Ruben's boss, and she's heading to Buenos Aires to visit her cousins. And whaddaya know? As the journey continues and they're mistaken for a family, bonding begins to occur and we learn just a teensy bit more about their damaged lives. Ruben seems to regret the impact of his peripatetic lifestyle on his relationship with his now-estranged son, while Jacinta reveals that her sprog "has no father".

This is all nicely played if somewhat predictable and very sedately paced, and is probably best appreciated by connoisseurs of gurgling nippers and the arthouse cinema of very little happening. If nothing else, it suggests that lauded veteran Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami now has some serious competition when it comes to his trademark exceedingly long takes recorded inside moving vehicles. (Robin Askew)

Website www.vervepics.com/lasacacias

Opens: December 9

Copyright Robin Askew 2011