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Three disparate characters travel the desolate, wind-ravaged highway leading to the Patagonian Oz of San Julián in this modest yet meditative portrait of faith. Shy, moon-faced mother María (Javiera Bravo) sets out to win a food processor on a rinky-dink game show; comic-relief salesman Roberto (Javier Lombardo) aims to woo a young widow with a soccer-themed cake for her kid; and, at the center of it all, elderly Don Justo (Antonio Benedicti) shuffles off to retrieve the dog that left him three years ago for mysterious reasons. The vignettes at times intersect with a Kieslowskian flair for ironic coincidence. It’s Argentine director Carlos Sorin’s unsentimental view of humanity, however, that unites the itinerant trio. Against a backdrop of moody, saturated skies, Sorin and screenwriter Pablo Solarz drop in subtle ambiguities and wry details, not the least of which is the intriguing, largely off-screen characterization of Badface the mutt. Simple but unshakable, this road movie celebrates forgiveness and compassion with a touch as dry and light as the roadside dust. In Spanish with English subtitles. (94 minutes)
BY ALICIA POTTER
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