Sidewalls

Sidewalls (Spanish: Medianeras) is a 2011 Argentine comedy drama film directed by Gustavo Taretto.[1]

Sidewalls
Film poster
SpanishMedianeras
Directed byGustavo Taretto
StarringJavier Drolas
Pilar López de Ayala
Release date
  • 15 February 2011 (2011-02-15) (BIFF)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryArgentina
LanguageSpanish

Plot

In the urban sprawl of Buenos Aires, Martin and Mariana are strangers, living in neighboring apartment buildings. Martin is a web designer, and takes up photography as a way to cope with his fear of the city. Mariana, an aspiring architect, is forced to move back into her old apartment after a breakup. Living solitary lives in one-room “shoebox” apartments, they both contemplate the changing cityscape, and struggle with anxiety and loneliness, feeling disconnected from other people in the digital age.

"A Short Autumn"

Witnessing a series of accidents on the street – a prostitute’s dog jumps from a balcony, causing a passer-by to be struck by a taxi and another to have a heart attack – Martin and Mariana separately stop to help. Martin is diagnosed with a harmless case of discarthrosis, and has adopted his ex-girlfriend’s dog after she abandoned them both to move to America. Mariana, working as a window dresser, finds herself talking to the store mannequins she prepares at home. She rediscovers one of her favorite Where's Wally? books, with a page she has never been able to solve. Ignoring a call from her ex-boyfriend, she thinks back on the end of their four-year relationship.

"A Long Winter"

Martin and Mariana pass frequently in the street without meeting. Spending most of his time online, Martin orders a new desk chair and hires a dogwalker, Ana. They begin dating, but she is already in a relationship and disappears from his life. Mariana agrees to a date with a client, Lucas, at a restaurant at the top of a skyscraper. Explaining her phobia of elevators, she takes the stairs, to Lucas' dismay; as he waits at their table, she is overcome with anxiety and leaves. Finding Martin’s old chair at the curb, she brings it home, and deletes all her pictures of her ex-boyfriend. She tells the story of the famed Kavanagh building, and is drawn to the music from a neighbor’s new piano. Martin tries online dating and meets Marcela, a manic polyglot, but their date ends in disappointment. He begins swimming at Mariana’s local pool, where she connects with fellow avid swimmer Rafa. They share an enjoyable date, and Mariana reacts kindly when Rafa experiences sexual dysfunction, but he deserts her.

"Spring At Last"

Mariana reflects on the unremarkable exterior “sidewalls” of the city’s buildings. Seeking change in her life, she gets a lip piercing, and she and Martin each have a new window installed in their apartments. They unknowingly look out at each other while listening to “True Love Will Find You in the End" on the radio, and are both moved to tears by the ending of Manhattan on TV. By chance, they connect with each other online in an anonymous chat room, but just as Mariana asks for Martin’s phone number, the city is plunged in a blackout. Buying candles at the same store in the dark, they unwittingly share a static shock before going their separate ways. Later, from her window, Mariana spots Martin walking his dog, wearing a red-and-white-striped sweater similar to Where's Wally? She races down to the street, and they finally meet face-to-face. During the credits, Martin and Mariana – now living happily together – record a home video, lip-syncing to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

Cast

References
  1. Catsoulis, Jeannette (2011-10-25). "When a Neurosis Is Part of the Attraction (Published 2011)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-21.


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