Film Review: The Student 2011 (El estudiante)

Watching Argentinian director Santiago Mitre’s The Student (El estudiante) was like hanging on to the back of a speeding boat with my legs flailing in the air.  But, perhaps that’s giving myself too much credit. 

Everything was pretty much over my head.  Somewhere, close to the film’s opening, I lost my grip and fell into the ocean.  I waded around for a couple hours hoping the post-Q & A with Mitre would steer back around and send a raft my direction, or, more realistically, throw a life preserver, but no such luck.  I couldn’t seem to latch onto something tangible that would slow the spinning of my head.  I was better fit facing a corner in the auditorium adorned with a dunce cap. 

Mitre wanted to make a film about the role of student verses establishment, where he’s thrown into a world filled with a bunch of passionate revolutionaries jockeying for power, many of who speak to represent the people only to betray them for self-preservation.  Roque (played by Esteban Lamothe) is a regular Jose young student who finds himself amidst a student revolution.  He trades girlfriend Valeria (Valeria Correa) for determined political activist Paula (Romina Paula) as he finds himself working his way up the student body ladder. 

Mitre starts the film from Roque’s perspective: this is all happening to him (and us) for the first time.  Voice-over connects the fictional narrative with Argentine history.  There is a strong movement with Argentina’s theatrical community; most of the actors were novices to film with a strong theatrical background.  The Argentine university world, as well as political mechanics, haven’t been captured much on film.  The sex here is raw, natural and unromanticized.  The entire film appears to be filmed digitally. 

I’m finally recognizing my limitations as a moviegoer.  Films about politics, whether set in the university, drug and/or social institution worlds are just beyond me.  For some reason, my brain can’t follow them. Too many names, too many faces, too many references confuse me.  Reading subtitles makes it that much more challenging. 

The presenter for the film also stood as the translator for the director.  The former reminded me of one my political science professor Seth who started to learn Spanish at an accelerated age.  I think this guy was Jewish too.  What I loved about Seth is he was so whimsical and in love with his subject matter.  When I failed miserably after my first year of college, his was the only class I took over and did much better at.  Sadly, I can’t recall anything I’m not even sure I learned from his class, not unlike my experience watching El estudiante.  But, it was a joy to watch him speak.  

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