La helada negra (2015)

Directed by: Maximiliano Schonfeld | 82 minutes | drama | Actors: Rubén Deming, Florencia Domínguez, Elio Guerra, Sheila Kliphan, Benigno Lell, Mariano Morales, Tatiana Rohr, Ailín Salas, Luis Salcedo, Luján Schab, Lucas Schell, Nelson Sosa, Agostina Stamm, Pablo Wassinger, Darío Wendler, Mario Wendler, Gabriel Zaragoza

The finely shot, impressionistic rural drama ‘La helada negra’ centers on the beautiful Alejandra (Ailín Salas), who, for some unexplained reason, makes her appearance in a mostly male, impoverished Argentine farming community descended from Volga Germans. The aging gentlemen play some dice and engage in greyhound racing, but the harvest does not go smoothly because of the mysterious Black Frost who occasionally rules over the sloping pampas of Entre Rios. Until Alejandra makes her appearance, with her serene appearance and crocheted clothes.

Among the pale peasants, her ravishing appearance already does justice to the eye, in the community she grows into a real deus ex machina, or so it seems. Everything grows and blooms again because of the young woman. Without context, it remains a bit of a guessing picture for the viewer, but who cares. Alejandra, of course, seems to blend in with the men’s group, keeping a low profile as far as her own history is concerned. Questions from the farmers in that light are answered with a shrug; She keeps her only peer Lucas (Lucas Schell) at a distance, and seems to feel most comfortable with older farmers.

Alejandra – apparently not much older than twenty – says she is a widow; somewhere there appears to be a man. Yet something blossoms between Lucas and Alexandra, although it remains unclear for a long time what it is. The film is a calm visual spectacle, a tender pastoral one in which image, action and message flow naturally into one another. ‘La helada negra’ is about growing up in general and an Argentine minority in particular, with Alejandra as the connecting focal point. Salas’ supercooled rendition keeps you interested and the settlement is satisfying. Just like life itself sometimes rather raises questions than gives answers.