The River Train
El Tren Fluvial
In this spellbinding urban fantasy, a young malambo dancer breaks free of his rigid rural life by catching a train to the Argentinian capital.
In the countryside, nine-year-old Milo seems stuck in an endless loop of responsibilities: washing dishes, helping to cook family dinners and, most significantly, training with his father to perfect malambo: a traditional Argentinian gaucho folk dance. One day, he catches a glimpse of a boy on TV raving about finding fame in Buenos Aires. This sparks a flame in Milo, who decides to escape his provincial existence by way of a city-bound train. But Milo quickly discovers that the journey and the destination are so much more than he could have ever imagined.
Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas A. Vignale’s Berlinale-premiering feature debut is a sublime, magic-realist coming-of-age tale that blurs the factual and fantastical elements of Milo’s journey to striking effect. As the film unpacks its depictions of duality – between childhood and growing up, creative rigour and rebellion, the safety and stagnation of home – breakout actor Milo Barría skilfully embodies the protagonist’s wide-eyed hunger for adventure. Intimate and inventive, The River Train captures the ever-difficult question of whether to continue to dream or face the reality of waking life.
“One of the year’s most luminous, enchanting discoveries … illumining the wide world as a kid’s gaze absorbs and evolves. To be privy to its transforming perspective feels like a rare gift.” – High on Films
Tickets
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