Spanish, with English subtitles

Mario (Sola), distraught after his lead dancer and wife (Narova) leaves him for a more renowned tango performer, decides to put his talents to good use making a film about, what else, the tango. He soon becomes involved in a dangerous affair with another dancer, Elena (Mia Maestro), whose significant other is a local gangster type who, as luck would have it, happens to be funding his film. However, to start this review with a description of the narrative in one sense does not do it justice, as this Oscar nominated film is not at all bound by such conventional notions of film making.

This seemingly typical tale of torrid relationships and jealousy is a remarkable film shot mostly on a dramatically lit stage, and composed mostly of extended dance scenes. Many critics have praised not only how visually striking this film is, but also its unusual approach to expressing a given narrative to an audience, using just the smallest amounts of conventional storytelling between scenes as not to isolate those of us who are not too familiar with the expression of story through dance. Even if you are not a fan of dance, this colourful and thoughtfully shot film will hold your attention if not with its exotic and captivating dances, with it's unique and effective visual style.