Pretty Good

A Major Disappointment

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

'Patagonia' is a film directed by Marc Evans, providing a unique insight into two cultures that you wouldn't have ever considered to co-exist. I wasn't aware that Patagonia is a Welsh settlement in Argentina, since the mid 19th century where Welsh citizens were invited by the Argentine government to come to live in Patagonia. Miraculously, Patagonia still retains its Welsh community and is still thriving.The film is anchored by two stories, one spoken in Welsh and the other in Spanish, where both sets of people are searching for their identities. Rhys (Matthew Gravelle) is a photographer assigned with capturing the essence of Patagonia, and takes his girlfriend Gwen (Nia Roberts) for a working holiday. Travelling in the opposite direction is the elderly Argentinian Cerys (Marta Lubos) who wants to trace her ancestors before she dies, and misleads the unwitting teenage Alejandro (Nahaul Perez Biscayart) to come with her. The photography is stunning, with some wonderful scenes of the contrasts between the lush green hills of Northern Wales and the dusty deserts of the Patagonian landscapes. Both sets of couples experience various states of discomfort and joy in trying to find themselves, providing a nice balance between them which makes the film work. 'Patagonia' may often be cliché-ridden, sentimental and implausible but there is a warmth to the characters, especially Cerys and Alejandro, which is often very touching. Its one of those films which tugs on your emotions more than your imagination, and forces you to sit down and just enjoy watching an interesting sequence of events.

For me, the parallel story lines worked very well. I would say though, that I might not expect non-Welsh people to enjoy this anywhere near as much. The cinematography both in Argentina and Wales is gorgeous, but the story could maybe be difficult to engage with for others. For a start, it's mostly in Welsh or Spanish. English people rarely respond well to Welsh efforts to assert their culture so don't expect any different here. The part of the story that revolve around the Llyn Celyn reservoir was unexpected and subtly done - but again I wouldn't expect English viewers to understand or respond well to this. Who wants to hear that an ancient Welsh villages were drowned so that England could have more industrial water supplies?I watched this fully expecting to be bored witless but the flipping between the two tales creates a sustainable pace and saved what could have been prosaic stories.Well done Marc Evans!

I agree with some other reviewers that the endings could have been perhaps better conceived, but then I've never seen the perfect film. What was so appealing about this film was the unique combination of Welsh and Latin American cultures, not seen very often. Being a Welshman in a civil partnership with a Paraguayan who has had to come to terms with my Welshness, and all that means, we both watched this film with fond admiration. I must confess, as a Welsh and Spanish speaker, seeing this on television with subtitles I couldn't switch off was confusing as I would rather not see any English in there at all, but I do appreciate for most people that will be necessary to understand one or both of the languages.I won't restate what's previously been said about the landscapes in both countries being shot very well. Essentially we were both left feeling very 'nostalgic' about both Wales and South America.Duffy was a very unexpected jewel in this already-lovely crown. Her Spanish wasn't at all bad, it has to be said, and the song she sings - Desearia - is absolutely gorgeous, we've played it non-stop since seeing the film. She only comes into major play quite late in the film, which is a pity, but it's definitely worth waiting for.This wasn't intended to be a full review of the film, as others have done that so eloquently before me. Instead, more to add my weight to the comments that if you have an attachment to Wales, to South America, or to both, then you WILL find something in this film to capture your heart. If you don't, perhaps it won't be your cup of tea, as the film does tend to capture your emotion rather than your imagination. For us, we'll be watching it again. And again.

If you are sick and tired of contrived Hollywood productions with cliché plots and badly written lines, then Patagonia is the perfect antidote which will restore your faith in the power and beauty of cinema. The fact that this film was produced by S4C in collaboration with smaller independent production companies means that it has the freedom to explore the themes without using a stale Hollywood formula. We follow two different couples on their journey from Wales to Argentina and vice versa: the Welsh Gwen and Rhys who go to Patagonia and the odd couple Cerys and Alejandro who go in search of Cerys' mother's farm 'Nant Briallu' in Wales. I'm not sure if it is fair to classify this as a 'road trip' movie - but it is certainly the best road trip movie ever made. The theme about displacement and dislocation is beautifully executed in this film – the characters in Argentina speak only in Welsh and the characters in Wales speak mostly in Spanish. Even singer Duffy makes a valiant and commendable effort to speak Spanish as Sissy – the Spanish- speaking local love interest of Alejandro. This all relates to the fact that Cerys' mother sent in exile to Argentina to hide the face that she was an unwed mother. For those of you who are sick and tired of American films which are so afraid of any subtitles because the American audience doesn't like to read subtitles (which often results in the most unlikely characters speaking English with a ridiculous foreign accent) – you can breathe a sigh of relief when you come to see Patagonia. The Welsh people tend to speak Welsh and very little English and the English are forced to read the subtitles. The two couples never meet, their paths never cross - the way you'd expect things to be conveniently tied up at the end of a Hollywood movie; and the movie is better off for that. One is treated to amazing cinematography which benefits from Patagonia's amazing desolate landscape and Wales' green rolling hills. There is great humour in the movie - but most of all, the magic of the movie as carried by the odd couple Cerys and Alejandro who grow closer together as they journey through Wales and there is a genuine warmth to their relationship. Argentinian actress Marta Lubos stole the show as the somewhat batty but still utterly lovable Cerys - tough, resilient, stubborn yet charming all at the same time, she is the grandmother everyone would love to have. The film takes you on an emotional journey – but having said that, I think I ended up caring more about Cerys and Alejandro on their quest to find Nant Briallu; after all, it seemed pretty clear what was going to happen to Rhys and Gwen from the moment they landed in Patagonia. Nonetheless, what the Argentinian plot lacked in substance, it more than made up in sheer beauty. If you watch this film, you will leave the cinema wanting to improve your Spanish, learn Welsh (if you do not already speak Welsh) and most of all, you will desire to travel to Wales and Patagonia. Few films will leave you with such a strong yearning – and both the Welsh and Patagonian tourist boards own the makers of this film a big cheque for the amount of visitors as a direct result of this film. In short, go see this film – it'll probably be the best film you would see in 2011. No 3D glasses, no special effects, no Hollywood big stars – just an incredibly compelling and touching story of human emotion. This is what the magic of cinema is all about. Who needs 3D glasses?