Bombón El Perro

Carlos Sorín's 2004 Argentine film plays out on the empty roads of Patagonia. Coco is a mechanic past fifty who has been let go from the petrol station where he worked for twenty years; he cannot find work, stays at his daughter's and tries to sell knives he makes by hand. A woman he helps on the road gives him a large dog in thanks, a pedigree dogo argentino that unexpectedly takes first prize at a show. From then on Coco imagines building a new life around the animal. The film does not turn this into a success story, measuring the distance between hopes and reality in a restrained and humorous register. Most of the cast are not professionals and Sorín's method sits close to documentary realism. The landscape sets the tone. Who it's for: viewers who like quiet Latin American drama and road movies. Who it's not for: anyone expecting plot and tension; the film is made of small moments.