El Bagno Del Papa
"The Pope's Toilet"
Reviewed by Rich Ashcroft
There's the palpable crackle of nervous expectation in the air for those downtrodden inhabitants in the rural Uruguayan hamlet of Melo, as they fervourishly prepare for the imminent arrival of Pope John Paul II and his many thousands of hungry and thirsty followers. This is a bitter sweet drama co-directed by City of God (2002) cinematographer Cesar Charlone, and factually based upon the tour of South America by the man himself in '88.
Lead character Beto (a kind of Uruguayan Les Battersby) has been using his "thinking cap", and as locals prepare to profit by retailing mountains of fritters, chorizo and patties, Beto plans to cater for the other side of the business - by building a public toilet and charging for the pleasure. Dependent on a fraction of the throng using either the half or full service he estimates to earn enough pesos to send his daughter to college, settle a long overdue electricity bill for his wife, and finally afford a long dreamed of new motorbike for himself.
What happens next is a comedy of errors, anything that could possibly go wrong does, in a frenetic rush to finish preparing papa's pissoir in time for his holiness' arrival. As the on screen hysteria mounts, so do our hopes that his hair-brained scheme will come to fruition
Charlone and his co-director Enrique Fernandes collaborated closely in their endeavor, more evidence of the burgeoning nature of independent South American film. Simplicity and emphasis on film being a thing of beauty rather than a 'cash cow' pays rich dividends for the viewer. Though it would be fair to say the budget wouldn't compare with the likes of Hollywood, it matters not, because the cinematography and setting for this film is so perfectly judged (Charlone spent much of his youth in Melo). A convincing blend of trained actors and ordinary local Uruguayans, pumps up the credibility and provides pitch perfect performances. Notably, El Bagno del Papa has 'swept the boards' at numerous South American film festivals in 2007, ample evidence that it could be worth spending a penny (or two) on this fab foreign flick.
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