Nacido y criado at the Tribeca Film Festival

Despite its ongoing corporatization and 50% hike in ticket prices, the Tribeca Film Festival continues to offer New Yorkers a chance to see indie and international movies that might not receive a mainstream release. Last night we saw “Nacido y criado” (Born and Bred) in a theater on 34th just two-fifths full.

Pablo Trapero, a major part of the burgeoning Argentine new wave, wrote and directed the story of an interior designer named Santiago who abandons culture and civilization for the loneliness and emptiness of Patagonia. After a terrible car accident, Santiago disappears into a new life at a tiny airport along with Roberto and Cacique, but the rural area’s terrible weather means the trio have more time for drink and debauchery. Nobody in his new life knows about the accident, nobody from his old life knows where he is, and, most importantly, he left before he could find out whether his beloved wife and daughter survived.

As a whole, the movie owes much to New Hollywood, particularly in its long, long takes and gritty realism. The close ups of a suffering Santiago contrast with the wide shots of the vast frozen landscape, bordered by snowy mountains. Sometimes it’s as melodramatic as it sounds. During the Q&A, Trapero explained that the movie’s title has two meanings: Santiago is reborn after the accident a difficult, changed man, and Argentines abbreviate the phrase nacido y criado as "nyc," a slangy way of demonstrating your place cred.