La Nona was initially born as a play oriented towards tragic comedy that reflected Roberto Cossa's vision of society and politics. Most of Cossa's works tended to take on culture shock, as if suggesting that two different cultures cannot coexist in the same territory. Héctor Olivera decided to make this adaptation of the original play while maintaining the social symbolisms and ended up providing what is perhaps the best Argentine film that has ever existed. Currently, Argentine cinema has become synonymous with mediocrity and many of its films have tried to stand out in the field of comedy, drama, auteur cinema or independent cinema. Although there are a couple of new and old films that are redeemable, what is certain is that it is very difficult for any of them to surpass La Nona.
The first thing that makes La Nona an excellent film is that it respects the original source quite a bit. Although there are a couple of changes such as the final scene, they are minor and fit well with the film. The humor is the same, although interpreted from Olivera's perspective. Being a play, each performance he has had in different theaters has been in a different way. But the humor in this adaptation works quite well. As it is Argentine humor, it can be somewhat complicated to understand. The next thing is that Olivera knew how to capture and transmit the social criticism that the work had. Olivera's works are usually characterized by touching on social problems in Argentina and that made him know how to capture the metaphors of the work to translate them into this adaptation. Nona is always hungry to the point that her family lives in poverty and that voracious appetite is a clear allegory to the system that devours everything in its path until it leaves those from the middle or lower class in a serious economic problem.
The original work has satires and Italian stereotypes that the film was able to capture in a very successful way without losing the essence of the work. Many of the actors do their jobs very well and give the impression that they really are caricatured versions of Italian immigrants. That gives a very good flavor to the humor of the film and makes the characters unforgettable. Pepe Soriano is without a doubt the most memorable part of the film. Even with that old woman costume that he wears, he knew how to perfectly embody the voracious old woman of the play. He can very easily be mistaken for a real old woman and it is the best role he could have given Pepe.
Without having absolutely anything to envy, it is clear that La Nona is a worthy adaptation of the original work and a worthy film of Argentine cinema. Despite having passed many years, being an hour long, having few resources, being rarely mentioned and never having been adapted again into film, La Nona remains a unique film in Argentine cinema. Argentina may have produced more comedies before and since, but La Nona has never been replicated in any of them. It's one of those movies that will never be produced again and you have to appreciate it for that. Of the few good films that Argentina has produced, La Nona is the most valuable treasure of Argentine cinema. My final rating for this movie is a 10/10.
