Felicidades

Running time: 100 mins

Lucho Bender's Felicidades is a truly enchanting experience filled with love, humor and one of the most complete human experiences you'll find this year. On December 24th, Buenos Aires hectically prepares for Christmas in the normal fashion. Unfortunately, the "Christmas spirit" has a new face in the forms of selfishness, distrust and violence. However, there are always those few shining souls--here in the examples of Sikora, Platana and Debiasi. All Sikora wants to do is get on his plane to Toronto. On the way to the airport, however, in the middle of nowhere, his driver runs out of gas. It is Sikora who sets out to try to locate fuel. The result is absurd and unexpected. Platana is doing some last minute shopping when he meets Laura. Immediately taken by her, Platana makes sure to get a date. All Platana has to do is help a disabled man to his apartment and meet Laura at hers--a task that proves more difficult than expected. Very religious Debiasi is engaged to be married and soon to move out of his parents' house. Tonight, his scruples are sorely tested, however, when he becomes an unwilling accomplice of police misbehavior. Felicidades may be director Lucho Bender's directorial feature debut, yet he deftly crafts the splendid journey of a master storyteller. Felicidades will undoubtedly leave his audience craving more. Reviewed by Al Owens