By Ed Meza
Argentine director Alejandro Agresti (“The Lake House”) returns to the big screen with “Lo Que Quisimos Ser” (“What We Wanted to Be”), a touching story of two people who develop a unique relationship yet continue to long for more.
Premiering out of competition at the Malaga Film Festival, the film, set in 1998, follows a man and a woman (Luis Rubio and Eleonora Wexler) who meet for the first time outside a movie theater in Buenos Aires, where they were the only people in the audience to see Howard Hawks’ 1940 classic “His Girl Friday,” starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.
They decide to go for a drink and, at her request, make up new identities for themselves, becoming who they always wanted to be: she is Irene, a romantic novelist; he is Yuri, an adventurous astronaut who grew up in Africa. Hitting it off, they decide to meet every Thursday at the same place and carry on their fantasy lives. In the process, they grow ever closer, as does reality.
Discussing his film with Variety, Agresti said, “Part of the inspiration comes from observing and reflecting on a certain ‘new’ way of relating through social media. How can we construct our own image and past at will, pretending to be what we are not, replacing it with what we would like or perceive ourselves to be.”
Indeed, Agresti says he chose to set the film in 1998 “precisely to distance myself from the current invasion of social media. To engage in the game the story proposes face to face between two people.”
The film, which also pays tribute to Hollywood classics of yesteryear, offers an exploration of social pretense and performance in the real world.
“As Irene reflects in the film, we are all, to a certain extent, actors, behind the curtain of the social scene in which we live. A game that contains its innocent side, but can also end up damaging us, making us lose all sense of ourselves, even narcissistically imposing on others that they become mirrors of our whims.”
While the story touches on themes like coming to terms with life choices, regrets and the brevity of life, Agresti says he only explored those aspects “to the extent the story allowed, without using tricks or narrative paraphernalia; maintaining the simplicity and humanity of these two characters.”
In embodying those characters, Wexler and Rubio possessed the ideal qualities, Agresti notes.
“Eleonora handles her face like few actresses I’ve worked with. She’s able to transform it into the most diverse landscapes without the need for technical elaboration, with that purity, honesty, and subtle handling of each gesture.
“As for Luis Rubio, I wrote the script with him in mind, although without knowing him personally. I had seen him in roles that were completely different from this one. He’s originally a comedian, but beyond that quality, I could sense a vulnerable, endearing person, capable of playing any role.
“They are two formidable actors of substance.”
Produced by Gastón Duprat, Fernando Sokolowicz and Analía Perez, “What We Wanted to Be” is sold internationally by Madrid-based Latido Films.
