Vladimir in Buenos Aires (2002) User Reviews

Dostoievski's "Crime and punishment" revisited

[fermin771009 · 10/10 · 12 January 2004]

This film is, in all senses, a modern version of "Crime and punishment" by Dostoievski. The essential matter is following a guy trying to do something, but while Dostoievski's character wants to change History, Vladimir is just looking for a job after USSR disappears. And the other main elements of original Russian novel are adapted to 21st century situations by the way. So, if you don't believe in Super-man as understood by Nietzsche and Dostoievski, this is your chance to see the most closed example of what a super man can hope in present world.

This film is almost a documentary on the reality of Russian immigrants to Argentina in the late nineties: a context to Vladimir's odyssey.

[cafeledi · 28 September 2008]

From my point of view, this film is almost a documentary on the reality of Russian immigrants to Argentina in the period under presidents Menem and De la Rua (1995-2001). The Argentine immigration policy with the former URSS was "no restrictions- no help". And many assumed the risk, as the reward was attractive: one peso was worth one dollar, and ten percent of an average local salary represented a full month income in the homeland. Many of the people who arrived in this period were highly qualified, but few managed to make their living according to their training. Most could get only lower quality jobs. However, their ends were met, because the strategy was to earn the dollars that would allow them and their newly-arrived families to migrate to the final destination, back into the First World, usually Canada, in a short number of years. Language was learned laboriously by sheer immersion, so acceptance in the Argentine society was not immediate. In fact, most of the film is spoken in Russian, and it recreates so well the painful isolation caused by a broken communication . The film shows this and some other aspects of the differences between both cultures clearly. Very confusing and irritating to the straightforward Russian mentality was the Argentine employers' total informality and lack of compromise .The film shows all these subtle relationships, and how flexibility was a requisite for survival in such disadvantageous conditions. For those who stayed for too long, due to money shortage or successful integration, the situation turned desperate, as bad as for most Argentine people. They got caught in the most devastating of all the numerous crisis in the Argentine economy. The peso-dollar parity collapsed, Banks and firms went bankrupt, and unemployment rose to 25% . President De la Rua had to leave Office, and political instability was installed. This is, in short and simple, the background to Vladimir's odyssey, which I believe is successfully shown in the film. Dostoievsky deals with the human soul,so most human tragedies are found reflected in his work, that is true.