Today and Tomorrow (2004)

Must See Movie...

disgusting, overrated, pointless

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Paula is 24 years old and has talent as an actress. She is following her dream in a difficult country. In spite of the fact that she's been on her own for two and maybe six years, she seems oblivious to the reality around her. She has a job which she loses early on because she's chronically late and additionally is three months behind on her rent and faces eviction the next day.A wiser choice for Paula would have been to realize that she could not support herself and seek roommates to share expenses when she first started out on her career. So now she has to get 300 pesos in a day or become homeless so she eventually turns to a friend who is already a sex worker. They quickly are picked up by two boys their own ages who agree to pay them 50 pesos apiece. Her friend goes down on her client but Paula bolts and says she wants to be on her own. Her friend inexplicably gives her the 100 pesos.On the street she is picked up by a middle aged man. Paula has no problem blowing him (unlike the first boy) but has failed to make the bargain and get the money up front. So he ends up stiffing her.Then she hits pay dirt when Raoul, a nice looking middle aged recently separated man staying at an upscale hotel, picks her up. She is paid 200 pesos and Raoul is clearly wanting to become an established client. Paula blows him off, goes sees her boyfriend and they end up getting robbed in a night club.She comes back to Raoul and agrees to spend the night for the money she needs for rent. However, after they have sex which she seems to enjoy, she breaks her promise and tries to leave early. Raoul then catches her and takes the money back.Paula then goes to a club, picks up a sketchy older man and checks into a seedy hotel. He pays her 200 pesos and she blows him. When she tries to leave, he says they're not done and then beats her and rapes her. The movie then ends with Paula looking out over the city and presumably contemplating her future.The writer/director in his notes says that Paula is a woman who won't compromise her deeply held moral beliefs. What those are is not clear. Without even discussing the morality of being a sex worker, Paula uses people when it suits her, borrowing from her Uncle and never intending to pay it back, lying to Raoul about spending the night, taking extreme measures to avoid her landlord who she owes nearly a thousand pesos.Those actions may show someone who is street smart but they also show someone who has a fluid morality.I realize this review is more about the character's story than it is about the quality of the film making. However, it's obvious that that is the main point of the film.

Is one of the best Argentinian films i have seen in my life, almost a master piece. You should all see it.Briefly, the story is:After her gas is cut off, Paula - an aspiring actress - finds her day going from bad to worse. Unable to borrow money from her friends, or from her estranged father, she is then propositioned by the director of her play and loses her job. Needing 300 pesos to pay off her landlord, she turns to an old school friend, now a prostitute, in the hope of getting some cash. The perils she faces through this awful day continue through the night. Will she be able to cope with her new professions? What will tomorrow bring?Setting it over the course of a single day and night, he manages to weave a series of perilous situations for his central character to overcome. But this is no simple tale of black-and-white morality, or an uplifting fable of hard work overcoming all.

This Argentine film came as a total surprise when it was shown in a cable channel recently. Alejandro Chomski has directed the film, which presents us with a young woman at a point in her life, so bleak, that appears hopeless.If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading here.The beautiful Antonella Costa, is Paula, an aspiring actress and a waitress in a restaurant. When we first meet her, she is seen in a restless state trying to get money from the ATM, without any luck. In a way, she must be expecting a miracle, knowing full well there is no money in the account. To make matters worse, the play she is seen rehearsing, will not open in a while and she loses her job at the bistro because she's been late three times, recently.The film follows Paula through the streets of Buenos Aires trying to get a kind soul to lend her money to help her pay the back rent she owes to a landlord that wants her to give him what she owes. Everyone she asks to help, can't do anything for her. Even her own father, questions her instead of being kind. In desperation, Paula goes to see a friend who is a prostitute. She feels that she will be able to get the funds she needs in order to survive by taking to the streets with this young woman. Things go from bad to worse. Everything she touches turns out to be wrong. The people she meets are predators that want their money's worth; they all use Paula to satisfy their own needs. The only kind soul she meets appears to be Raul, the Spaniard executive, but Paula doesn't want any part of him.This film reflects the reality in Argentina in the turmoil that followed recent catastrophic government measures that left the people impoverished and unemployed because of the hard times the country was going through. That anxiety and despair is what we see in young Paula. There is not a ray of hope, which was the point Mr. Chomski, the director was trying to make.The film owes everything to one of the most amazing performances by an actress in recent memory: Antonella Costa. She is the embodiment of Paula, the young woman at the center of the story. It's painful, at times, to watch what Paula is going through in front of our eyes. Yet, the film ends with a moment of reflexion and perhaps hope, as Paula gets out of the taxi that is taking her home, after a hard night, and she faces the immensity of the river as the sun is rising in the distance. In fact, we realize at this moment that Paula and the country she represents, will survive.Watch this movie in order to see the magnificent young actress, Antonella Costa!

This movie was shown as part of "A certain regard" in Cannes Film Festival this year (2003). It was well received by the critics and shows that Antonella Costa (Garage Olimpo, Figli/Hijos) is an excellent actress and that she has a bright future. The movie is a reflection of the crisis in Argentina which lead people to do things that normally should not happen. It is Alejandro Chomsky's first feature, and was obviously finished before the new Argentinian president's election. Fortunately, although still a bit too early to be sure, there are some encouraging signs of optimism in Argentina. Anyway the economical situation is still critical and the unemployment (in a certain way one of the movie's subject) is always very high in Argentina. This movie shows that there is a lot of young talent in this country. Let's hope it will be released abroad.