Xiaobin is seventeen and doesn’t speak a word of Spanish when she arrives in Argentina. Her parents keep Argentine society at arm’s length, but Xiaobin immediately enrols in a language school. At her job in a supermarket, putting into practice what she has learned after the lesson on ‘making an appointment’, she sets up a date with Vijay. This leads to a secret relationship. As we follow Xiaobin’s personal development (she now calls herself Beatriz), it becomes clear that life no longer just happens to her; the future tense helps her overcome her fears.
In this fresh, hybrid film, director Nele Wohlatz, who herself emigrated from Germany to Argentina, translates language lessons into surprising cinema. Wohlatz met actress Xiaobin at her language school and was fascinated by her concentration. Says Wohlatz, “We wrote the script together, in a process in which she could test and re-invent herself. Consequently, the film also shows Xiaobin’s possible future, constantly introducing new variations.”
Film details
- Country of production
- Argentina
- Year
- 2016
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2017
- Length
- 65'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
