Agustín has lived in Oslo for six years. He has a position at the university and is doing research on Ibsen's influence on contemporary Nordic theatre. He is married to Sara, a Norwegian pediatrician, whom he defines as "intelligent" and "having a position of great responsibility." A symposium on Nordic theater sponsored by the Norwegian embassy in which he will deliver a talk brings him to Buenos Aires, where he does not seem to have family or friends.
Agustin's life is monotonous, tightly controlled and planned with an emphasis on work. He is not exempt of malice, as a disparaging comment on a colleague's work shows. In Buenos Aires he reconnects with Marina, a high school sweetheart (the meeting is on her initiative, not his), He later refers to Marina as "difusa" (diffuse, unfocused) but she brings a breath of life to Agustín's suffocating world.
When in high school, Agustín was influenced by. Carlos, his charismatic literature professor; in fact, Agustin's interest in Nordic authors stems from a book he borrowed from Carlos but never returned, a volume of Ibsen's plays in Spanish. Agustin has maintained a sporadic connection with Carlos and makes arrangements for a dinner the evening before this departure for Oslo. Carlos has had intense (good and bad) experiences after being Agustín's professor; he faced the end of a long term relationship, had to flee a military dictatorship, and found a new love in his old age. A fascinating discussion ensues, (the core of the movie) where Agustín contrasts his rigid views with those of Carlos, tempered with experience and frustrations. In the last scene, Agustín is about to board the plane for Oslo. He receives a call rom Marina, tries to ignore it but finally answers, where they vaguely agree on a meeting in his next trip to Buenos Aires.
I found this movie endlessly fascinating, especially the dinner conversation. Direction is fluid and script is nearly perfect: nothing redundant, nothing missing. Acting is excellent all around. Highly recommended.
