Highly Overrated But Still Good

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

I saw this by mistake on the UK TV channel Film 4. I am generally a fan of the Steven Segal school of movies, so you may be surprised that I found this film so powerful and enjoyable at a deep level. As other reviewers have written, very little happens. A lorry driver takes a mother and her baby daughter across Argentina and that's about it! This film is like a flower unfolding, you can't see anything happen but at the end there is something wonderful and beautiful that was not there before. The director was very brave and allows the film to drive itself rather than be driven by any need to pander to external pressures. It rings so true. I am a bit like Ruben the driver, unable to express what is in his heart, which made it a film that I identify with in a way I rarely do. The baby is brilliant! Give this film a chance, it will richly reward you!

I watched this film last night and I thought it is going to be boring. It wasn't the case in the end, because I felt like I was part of the journey, I was in the car and I couldn't hardly wait to get to Buenos Aires, and once there, I felt like I know my trip mates better. :) The baby was more than amazing! She's like a little star! I think when she'll grow up and see her performance she'll have all the reason to be proud for herself :) An achievement :)It may seem like the whole film is event-less but I was positively surprised to see that the outcome was better then expected. I can easily imagine this to happen for real... Like I said I only recommend this film only if you're not infected with the holywoodian kind of "film".

You don't know what they're thinking, you don't know how they're feeling, you can only guess. That's what makes this film intriguing and gives a "real life" feel to it. There is no background intrusive music, just the hum of a timber lorry lumbering (!) on the highway to Buenos Aires with its human cargo of man, woman and baby. One of the adults seems to have a lonely life without a family, the other one is part of a large and loving family, but there are hints of problems in their backgrounds. By journey's end you are hoping that all three will share a happy future together. By the way, there's no violence and only one brief bit of swearing.

Ruben, a truck driver, begins a journey in Paraguay that will change his life. He has agreed to pick up a friend of his boss and brings her to Buenos Aires. Little does he know the woman will show up with a five month baby. Ruben is taking a truck full of logs in a trip that will take him into the heart of Argentina toward the capital of the country.Ruben is at first skeptical of what he is going to do. He must go through the border customs, figuring the woman is going to Argentina to stay illegally, so he will only be compounding on the problem. Yet, albeit reluctantly, he decides to take her along. Jacinta, the passenger, tells the customs agent the baby has no father. She, like many of her poor fellow Paraguayans end up working as lowly pad maids in Argenine's households.The trip does not start auspiciously. Ruben, who appears to be a solitary man, does not take well the crying of the baby, but to his credit, he does not complain. Figuring he made a promise, now he has to fulfill it. As the two ride in almost total silence, Jacinta, is a soothing presence in his otherwise solitary ride, something he must endures in his long distance travels. The baby, Anahi, is a cute addition. We get to know a bit of Ruben's past. He confesses of having a son whom he met when the boy was four, and have not seen him in eight years. By the end of the trip Jacinta has cast a spell on Ruben. He did not think he was going to be affected the way he did.Pablo Giorgelli, the director of "Las Acacias" is a minimalist. There is almost no dialogues during the trip, and yet, a whole story comes out effortlessly. To his credit, the film has a rhythm of its own, keeping the viewer with the three occupants of the cab of truck. The director and Salvador Rosell created a plausible screenplay that has a good feeling because of the interaction, albeit subtle between Ruben and Jacinta. In spite of some negative comments to this forum, one never felt bored by the almost static setting and action in the film. Mr. Giorgelli creates an atmosphere of tolerance on Ruben's part and ultimately of acceptance and even tenderness at the end of the trip.German De Silva, a character actor has great moments in the film by underplaying a role. This solitary man, accustomed to a lonely life, is rattled softly from his routine by accepting to take a stranger as a favor. Jacinta, played subtly by Hebe Duarte, compliments Mr. De Silva in unexpected ways. The cute baby, Nayra Calle, makes an adorable distraction.