CHINESE TAKE-AWAY / UN CUENTO CHINO

Argentina, 2011, 93 minutes, Colour.
Ricardo Darin, Ignacio Huang, Muriel Santa Ana.
Directed by Sebastian Borensztein.


Chinese Takeaway has a lot going for it. An entertaining story and interesting central characters but with many comic touches and quite serious humane undertones.

It starts romantically in China – but this lasts only a few minutes before an absurd accident brings disaster to the couple. The film does say that it is based on actual events and the final credits are worth staying for, as glimpses of television news show the events in Russia on which the film is based, quite absurd in their way but tragic.

Then we are in Buenos Aires with one of Argentina’s top actors, Ricardo Darin, who can do serious police roles as well as more ordinary characters as he does here. He is Roberto who has his own hardware store. He is a middle-aged loner, a man of routine (lights out at 23.00 on the dot) who keeps a scrapbook of newspaper reports of would-you-believe-it stories. He can’t be drawn out of himself, even by a woman from the country who obviously loves him.

Where could this be going? China disaster to suburban Argentinian shops?

One of his pastimes is sitting outside the airport watching planes. Suddenly, a young Chinese man is tossed out of a taxi. It is the young man of the opening. Roberto goes to help him – and thus begins a tale. Jun cannot speak Spanish. Roberto is frustrated by the young man’s incessant Chinese speech and urgency.

The screenplay poses the question. If this happened to you, what would you do? Jun has an address tattooed on his arm. No luck. Try the police who are not only unco-operative but leads to a moment of violence which becomes very important in the resolution of the dilemma of Jun’s future. Take Jun to the Chinese embassy? Of course. But, while initial inquiries seem promising – Jun has worked on a ship and is seeking his uncle who has sold his shop and disappeared. Roberto takes Jun in and gives himself a week to find the uncle.

Not only does the film raise issues of language and verbal communication, signs and miming. It raises questions of language and culture and groping for understanding. And, it does raise the basic questions of human kindness, hospitality and the challenge to be a decent human being. Roberto is not always successful. He gets Jun to work in cleaning up his yard. He is worried about Jun’s nightmares. There is a false hope about the uncle, but is an error from the embassy, the staff of which later prove detachedly unhelpful.

The main help comes from Mari, the woman in love with Roberto. She takes Jun on a day of tourism around the city. It culminates in Chinese takeaway – which does provide some relief for Roberto and for the audience (though we, of course, know Jun’s sad story). The young man delivering the food is able to do some translating. Verbal communication at last.

There is a moment of disaster and Roberto’s anger with Jun and ousting him. But, a neat coincidence involving the policeman from earlier in the film leads to some hope.

Darin is completely believable and very sympathetic though we might find him difficult had we met him in real life. Ignacio Huang is also sympathetic who copes in his performance with speaking in Chinese only.

We smile. We are moved. A touch of tears. In fact, ‘touching’ is a good word to describe this blend of the serious and the comic, a film of human decency and kindness as the way we should live.

1. An Argentinian story? Chinese story? Intercultural, interracial? Universal values?

2. The Buenos Aires setting, the suburbs, the shop and the street, the airport, the police precincts, the Chinese embassy? A sense of realism? The musical score?

3. The prologue, China, the romantic interlude, the water? The rings? The absurdity of the cow falling from the sky? The tragedy? The audience left with this sequence – and the transition to Argentina?

4. The story based on actual events, the information in the final credits, the news, the Russian situation, the stealing of the cows, in the plane, the cows falling on the ship and the sailors?

5. The introduction to Roberto, Ricardo Darin’s presence? In the shop, counting the nails, his feeling that he was cheated, his argument with the salesman? His routine, meals, the papers and cutting out absurd stories, turning the light out at 2300?

6. Roberto as the loner, imagining stories, the Italian film, passionate love, with Mari? All in his imagination? Mari and her letter and his opening it six months later? Few friends? Leonel bringing the papers? Mari and her affection? His interchange with the pernickety customer – finally ordering him out? The delivery man, the offering of the gifts and Roberto’s not accepting? The delivery, the gift of the glass animal, for his mother’s cabinet? His dead mother?

7. At the airport, watching the planes, eating? The episode with Jun evicted from the taxi? Going to help him, sympathy for the victim? His spontaneous behaviour, kindness?

8. The audience recognising Jun from the prologue? Compassion for him? His speech, no subtitles? The effect for the audience? For Roberto?

9. The address tattooed on his arm, going to the address, the information that his uncle had sold the house and moved? Going to the police, the threat of the cell, the surly officer, Ricardo hitting him? Jun standing in the rain and Roberto picking him up? Going to the embassy, raising hopes? The arrival of the genial family – a mistake? Roberto and his pleading with them to take Jun? The ultimatum, the week and the calendar?

10. Meals, Jun imitating Ricardo, Roberto’s response to Ricardo’s nightmares? The job, clearing up the yard, taking out the rubbish? The sadness of his breaking the cabinet and the glass animals?

11. Mari, her life on the farm, attachment to Roberto? With Leonel? The invitation for them to join the family with the meal, the food? Mari taking Jun on a tourist visit of the city? The photos?

12. The decision to get Chinese take-away, the young man, translation, Roberto at last understanding something of Jun’s plight? Jun’s gratitude?

13. Roberto ousting Jun after the accident with the cabinet? Jun wandering? Roberto and his change of heart? In the car, the policeman seeing him, the clash between the two, the bashing, Jun seeing Roberto, rescuing him? The meal, the discussions about Roberto’s scrapbook, the farfetched stories? The Chinese take-away, the translator, Jun telling his story – and the connection with the story in Roberto’s album?

14. The family finally contacting the embassy, the happy reunion with Jun, his going to the airport?

15. Roberto and his kindness, the effect on him, driving to the country to see Mari?

16. Emotions, wry humour? A touching story and characters?