This weird and quirky movie by Amalia Ulman, who also plays one of the main characters in Elena, not only feels fresh and slightly innovative but is, above anything else, an enjoyable watch.

A small US short-documentary crew finds itself stranded in a remote Argentinian rural village after a misleading lead for their latest episode on weird trends around the world. During the span of a few days, they will find themselves having to engage with the picturesque inhabitants of the town and put to the test their camaraderie as a crew to overcome their professional challenge.

The choice of weird camera placements and unusual lenses, many of them on top of animals (although the weirdest is one that is placed on the back of a skateboard), enhances spontaneity and new points of view. Even the cutting style and the transitions feel transgressive, purposefully noticeable and action-packed, the style is more akin to the one you can see on social media (YouTube, TikTok) than that of, for example, an Ozu film and his quiet, still, and calm pillow shots. In this case, the results are a bit irregular, with some of the shots (especially those featuring animals) being able to build the world in which the story takes place even further, while some others just feel self-indulgent and unnecessary.

Accompanying that, we have solid performances by the entire cast, but the undisputable highlights are Alex Wolff and Guillermo Jacubowicz. The former, playing Jeff, is masterful in the role of the sex-obsessed assistant producer whose negativity is conveyed in his words, demeanour, and, above anything else, look (his facial expressions steal the show), is the cause of many laughs. Jacubowicz plays the extremely kind receptionist of the family hotel where our US expedition stays during the production of their piece. The way in which he portrays a combination of bafflement and lack of understanding of what this people are doing in this remote location, the will to still help them out in everything and as best as he can, and his repressed homosexuality that comes to fray in probably the most sensual (as well as hilarious) mic wiring sequence ever is of the highest quality.

And precisely this leads us perfectly to what this film is truly about, which is love and heartbreak. While everything is set around the production of their weird docu-short, and we still get to see the ins and outs of their machinations to fake it, what is truly important is the relationships that are built among the characters. The most entertaining ones are undoubtedly those that engage locals with visitors, one being the one involving the receptionist and the sound guy, Justin, played by Joe Apollonio, which leads to the aforementioned mic’ing up sequence, as well as another really strong scene where the two characters do some laundry. Next, we have that involving the character played by Wolff and the irreverent Manchi (played by Camila del Campo), which, unlike the more sensual rapport between the receptionist and Justin, is overtly sexual but still with a touch of surrealism and humorous exaggeration of usual tropes such as the slow cam look across the room. The third, involving Ulman, Chloë Sevigny (who is a rather irrelevant presenter), and Simon Rex (the main producer who absents himself from the filming just after arriving by returning home), tries to play as a sort of love triangle covered by deception and secrets, but is clearly the least effective plotline of the three, although it is also the least present during the movie.

At the end of the day, we are served with a visually innovative film that feels aligned with the current trends in the millennial/Gen X audiovisual approach, as well as an entertaining and funny flick. It would only have benefited from a bit of pushing less to the front of the technical elements while focusing more on the actual, very entertaining and funny interactions among characters, while also narrowing its scope by maybe completely discarding the love triangle storyline.