Attorney of Columbus

Family Law

Description

(Foreign/Drama) Rather than live in his father's shadow, Perelman Jr. chose a different path. When his office is unexpectedly closed for several weeks, he doesn't tell his wife, instead he spends time with his son at his school and his father’s work. As his father begins to reach out to him, he is forced to question his roles as father, son, and husband and contemplate what lies ahead for himself and his family in this endearing and tender story.

Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2008-11-21
Summary: "Fathers and sons . . ."

This film, set in Buenos Aires, is a loving story of father, son, and grandson. Recently wed young lawyer and university teacher, Perelman, lives a buttoned down life that works as regular as clockwork until his kindergarten-aged son, aging father, and Pilates instructor wife help him break out of the mold. Daniel Hendler is wonderful as the 30-something protagonist suddenly set adrift by structural problems that close down the office building where he works.

A deft teacher, whose lectures to large classes are interrupted by staged intrusions of men posing as penguin advocates and devoted former students, he is concerned as a trial lawyer with the unreliability of perception. There's much, he learns, that he has never seen with his own eyes until now, as he grapples with parenthood and the odd behavior of his father, whose practice of law is at opposite poles from his own and whose career-long personal assistant begins to look more like she's also been his mistress. The film wants to charm, and for the most part it does, with a sweetly told "coming of age" story, for a man of principle who sleeps with his suit on.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2008-10-24
Summary: "A Wonderful Movie"

This movie illustrates the life of a young man and his family in Argentina, where his father is an attorney, and wants the son to resume the law practice.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2008-04-30
Summary: "Family ties that bind and heal......"

DERECHO DE FAMILIA (FAMILY LAW), the third and final installment in Daniel Burman's trilogy, finds the lead character Ariel Perleman (Daniel Hendler) teaching law at the university, while giving us a play-by-play of the events that lead up to his being there. What's more, we get a sense of the great divide that exists between him and his father, who he only refers to as "Perleman Senior" (Arturo Goetz), who practices law out of a firm where several people feel his son should work as well. It's never really clear where the breakdown in their relationship took place. What is evident is that Ariel is reluctant to form any interpersonal relationships, other than the one he builds with his wife, Sandra (Julieta Diaz), who stands out in the crowd of his students--many of them young and female. Sandra teaches Pilates, and Ariel takes her classes to get closer to her, after she drops out of his law class. They marry and have a beautiful son, Gaston. Ariel fails to form a bond with him and Sandra must juggle all activities that involve their child, while Ariel remains off to the side. This is truly a character study in broken relationships and how they effect and alter those involved.

Daniel Burman succeeds in creating a beautiful, humorous and touching film. It engages and touches your heart, all the while making you think about the consequences that evolve out of estrangement and emotional abandonment. What's more, sometimes we have the power to turn this pain around if we're sincere. I don't want to ruin the evolution of the plot development here. You're just going to have watch it and see for yourself. This is just beautiful.

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Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2008-01-23
Summary: "Same mistakes as most Argentine movies"

Argentine movie makers seem to make it a point not to tell a story in their movies.
Instead, an Argentine movie has to be plotless, be somewhat Costumbrista, slightly testimonial and, most of all, have a "French ending" to leave the viewer wondering.

It has to be pretentious and boring, because Argentine viewers do not go to the cinema to enjoy themselves, they go to the cinema to be educated. Let's leave those minor things like create a good story to those stupid gringos, we are beyond that.


Unfortunately, this movie follows all those guidelines.
Which is a pity, because the acting is, in general, acceptable (except for Adriana Aizemberg, who manages to bring the movie to a stop by overacting in her only 30-second speech).
But in all justice, no character is engaging, and there is only so much the actors can do.

I enjoyed the voice-over by the protagonist (performed by Daniel Hendler), with his cultivated, yet young and typically River Plate accent.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2008-01-03
Summary: "Father/Son Law"

This film examines the rrelationship of an established, well-respected lawyer (Bernardo Perelman, played by Arturo Goetz) and his brilliant, up-and-coming lawyer son (Ariel, played by Daniel Hendler). Since the father and son work together in a two-man law firm the plot amplifies inevitable Oedipal confflicts. Ariel has a young son, and muses a great deal about what it means to be a father.
Such a film demands strong acting, since much of the complications and conflicts which develop inside the two main characters. Arturo Goetz is a very fine, who is a well known actor in the Spanish-speaking world, gives a solid performance as Bernardo. A winner of many awards in Argentian cinema, Goetz has recently appeared in the English-speakng world as a minor character in "No Country for Old Men." He certainly projects the image of the honored and well-respected senior lawyer. Bernardo's private life also comes under Ariel's scrutiny, and adds to the complexity of the conflict.
The highest acting honors, however, must go to Daniel Hendler. This actor is currently a hot property in Argentina. He has established a reputation as a young leading man in a number of films, many of them dealing with Jewish life in Buenos Aires. He has a very fine face, not conventionally handsome, but certaily fine to look at. Parts like this one bring out the best in him, as we see immediately his deep character. As they used to say in Hollywood, "the camera loves him," and he conveys much subtilty in miniscule gestures.
"Family Law" is not really a feel-good family movie, but family dynamics drive the plot. An important matter for this family is their Jewishness. If you've ever been to Buenos Aires, you know that the city has a fine, strong Jewish sub-culture. Also, if you've been to Buenos Aires and love the city as much as I do, the many outdoor shots will please you. It's not that the city is a full-blown character in the film, but the film is well shot, and the cirector, Daniel Burman, is particularly adept at using BA as the scenery.