Review No.34: A Useful Life

In trying to do complete this project I fully expected along the way to come across some unusual films and A Useful Life is a prime example. The film focuses on Jorge a cinephile who has been working at the same Uruguayan arthouse cinema for the last twenty years compiling the programmes and dubbing over the foreign films that aren't subtitled. During his time working at the cinema he also falls for lawyer Paola also a cinema fan but someone who isn't interested in Jorge outside him giving her free tickets. When the cinema shuts its doors Jorge is without a job for the first time in twenty-five years so the second half of the film is all about him trying to find a purpose in life and thinking that purpose lies with Paola. He gives an improtu talk at the law school where he thinks she will be before getting his hair-trimmed to impress her and then there's the all-important moment to end the film but I will spoil it for the two people who this film probably appeals to.

It is clear that director Federico Veiroj has a love of old cinema as this black and white piece is shot in a way that emphasises Montevideo's filmic landscape and the music used in the second half of the film feels very old school and fitting for Jorge's pursuit of Paola. It is after the cinema is shut that the film becomes a little more engaging but at just over an hour long there's hardly room for character development or anything else for that matter. The film's first half, centring around the cinema itself, feels stuffy and almost as if Veiroj is trying to impress us with his knowledge of Icelandic film and other obscurities. As a fan of different types of cinema I very much enjoyed parts of A Useful Life especially the lead performance from Jorge Jellinek whose mannerisms and facial expressions were reminiscent of silent comedians such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. The fact that he plays the entire film with a completely straight face is a testament to his skill especially seeing as this his debut film. I just felt that overall there was too many conversations about cinema that would alienate casual fans and at a just 63 minutes it is far too short to invest any real time in our central protagonists.

Verdict: A love-letter to old cinema that has a sweet central performance but one that is packed with obscure references and that is far too short I wish I could give it more but I can only stretch to 6/10