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The Movie:
 Adrián
Caetano's A Red Bear (Un Oso Rojo) is all about
redemption. It's about how we try to redeem ourselves to our
families, our employers, and most of all, to ourselves after
we've done a horrible thing. The only difference is that Caetano
chooses to play all this out in the suburbs of Buenos Aires,
Argentina - a place not often seen in film. His gritty, intense
film takes us into the streets and slums of Argentina where the
economy is suffering and the underworld of robbery and crime
reigns supreme. This isn't your typical postcard view of Buenos
Aires, but a more real glimpse into the lives of people that have
to scrap to make a living, and who sometimes must do the
unspeakable just to feed their families.
Bear has been in prison for the past seven years on a robbery and
murder charge that he committed on the day of his daughter
Alicia's first birthday. When he gets out, the first thing he
wants to do is see his daughter and make everything with his
family, but his ex-wife Natalia wants nothing to do with him.
She's never forgiven him for leaving Alicia's birthday party to
commit his heinous crime. Bear still seems committed to starting
over with his daughter and Natalia, but he must first figure out
how to reconcile his differences and show them that he's worth
having around.
 Sounds simple
enough, right? Sure, we've seen this story before in film. The
man gets out of prison seeking redemption for his crimes, and
looking to make peace with his family. That's, thankfully, about
where the similarities end. Caetano takes that simple story
structures and turns all of your expectations upside down to
craft a film that surprises and impresses at just about every
turn. A Red Bear takes us into the world of suburban
Buenos Aires like I've never seen in film before. We see the
crumbling, dilapidated buildings, the struggling families,
plummeting economy, and the dirty underworld of crime and
gambling. Well, that certainly doesn't sound like anything I've
heard on those travel commercials or seen on those gorgeous
postcards. No, Caetano's film is a realistic, tense example of
"New Argentine Cinema," which brings a level of care
and interest to a world not often seen in today's cinema.
 What makes the
film so interesting is Caetano's sure handed direction, and his
ability to subvert our expectations at all times. There are
moments when you feel like you know exactly where the film is
going or what the next shot will be, but Caetano chooses to take
his film to an entirely different place. It's fresh and original,
and that is incredibly exciting. He cuts, for instance, from the
quiet atmosphere of a young girl's birthday party to the sound of
bullets whizzing across the screen as we watch Bear commit the
crimes he'll go to jail for in a scene that looks as though it's
newsreel footage. The action is shot in a documentary style that
contrasts the entirety of the film, but Caetano makes it work.
His choice to shoot the opening action in this manner only makes
the crimes seem all the more real, and in turn, makes Bear's
attempt at redemption, after being paroled, all the more
difficult.
A Red Bear shows that Caetano is a director who knows
exactly where he wants to go with his material at all times. He
has the confidence to take the story in a completely unexpected
direction, a trust in his crew to get him there, and a belief in
the intelligence of his audience to understand it all. He frames
his shots to show the oppression of the crumbling Buenos Aires
suburbs - there are times when Bear (and many other characters)
actually look like they're literally imprisoned in their lives -
and the hardships these characters must face to make it all work.
 You wonder,
near the beginning of the film, how Bear - a man that is
unpredictable and violent by nature (and looks it) - could ever
begin to foster a relationship with a daughter that has never
even known him. Caetano, however, uses slight and subtle gestures
to make their burgeoning relationship seem completely believable.
Bear actually seems to care about Alicia (unlike Sergio who has
been living with her and Natalia since Bear went to prison), and
it's more than just the gift he gives her that connects them. In
one of the film's finest moments, the connection is made
explicitly clear in a scene reminiscent of the toothpick riddle
from Last Year at Marienbad, only not nearly as obtuse.
It is in this moment that Alicia, understandably, begins to want
her father in her life for good. Whether or not he can stay there
is what makes the rest of the film so damn entertaining.
The DVD
Video:
 A Red Bear
is presented in an anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer that
looks much better than I had expected. The varied color palette
of suburban Buenos Aires comes across beautifully on this
transfer with rich, vibrant hues and muted interiors. Flesh tones
are accurate, blacks are deep and true, and color contrast is
excellent. Detail is good, for the most part, though there are a
few soft spots throughout the film. Shadows and lighting are well
delineated, and there's nary a sign of edge enhancement. The only
real issues with this transfer are some inherent grain, which is
to be expected with an independent film of this nature, and some
dirt and spots from time to time. There's the slightest bit of
flicker occasionally, but it's barely even noticeable. This is,
nevertheless, an excellent transfer that makes the film look much
better than you might expect from an independent film out of
Argentina.
Sound:
 The original
Spanish-language audio (optional English subtitles are also
included) is presented on this disc in a Dolby 2.0 stereo format
that doesn't fair quite as well as the visual presentation, but
still manages to get the job done. Balance is good across the two
channels and dialogue, although it is a bit low at time, is
always clear and crisp. The wonderful soundtrack comes across
nicely, but with no real dynamic impact. It is, however, nicely
balanced and never overwhelms the dialogue. Pumped through Dolby
Pro Logic II encoding, this track actually has a little bit of
life to it. The low end comes alive, and there are even a few
subtle surround effects. Overall, this audio presentation is
adequate enough.
Extras:
Unfortunately, the foreign theatrical trailer
for A Red Bear is the only extra feature on this disc
pertaining to the film itself. There are also four
trailers for My Architect, Distant, To
Be and To Have, and Tibet.
Final Thoughts:
 A Red Bear
is one of those films that took me by complete surprise. I didn't
expect to be won over by Julio Chavez, and I certainly didn't
expect his character of Bear to be able to win me over after the
first few moments of the film. I didn't expect to see a side of
Buenos Aires that most people are too afraid to show, and I
didn't expect to see much more than your typical crime drama.
Nevertheless, it seems that Adrián Caetano's film is full of the
unexpected, which is what makes A Red Bear so endlessly
exciting and tense. There was not one moment in the film where I
knew exactly what these characters were going to do, and by the
end of the film, I didn't even bother trying to guess because I
knew that Caetano would just flip my expectations upside down.
It's an exciting thing to be completely caught off guard by a
film, and Caetano's strength lies in the fact that he's both
willing to show a side of life in Argentina that isn't seen very
often, and to do it unconventionally and surprisingly. While New
Yorker Video has provided a quality audio-visual presentation,
the lack of extra material keeps this disc from being highly
recommended. The strength of the film alone, however, is enough
for me to recommend this disc as a worthy addition to your
collection. |
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