The 20-minute short does not have the luxury of a build-up or an introduction (typical of shorts, in so lies their appeal), so immediately one is thrust into an intimate viewing of Luisa's (Asunción Balagueran), elderly housewife's daily--almost religious-- routine; she fetches his husband's slippers when asked to, cooks meals, irons, washes dishes, does the knitting, and all other monotonous activities filmed with no music to drown out the background noise of dripping water, the sound of steam coming off from the cloth, or the TV droning in the background, creating a feeling of tiredness and cinema verite, punctuated by Luisa's stoic, glazed eyes.
The initial incident occurs when the washing machine suddenly stops functioning, and Luisa's routine is suddenly altered, and she is unsure of how to feel of it. In the laundromat, Concha (María Alfonsa Rosso) introduces herself and helps the newcomer Luisa with the machine.
The final note strikes only when Luisa locks her husband out of the house, after having told him that she does not want a new washing machine (as that would terminate her alibi of meeting with Concha). His husband is heard pounding at the door, yet she ignores the frightful sound with colorful music and leans back on the couch, which her husband was always the king of.
Some might say that a short is too easy, that it does not need the most intricate plot outlines or a need to "justify" itself in a way. I say it is the complete opposite. The music added a cultural feel, and the choice of start and stopping points made a linear story in a short amount of time, that it felt whole. If you can see it, do so, as it is only less than twenty minutes. And the feeling of revenge and satisfaction at the end of the movie--almost like an epiphany-- is worthwhile.
The initial incident occurs when the washing machine suddenly stops functioning, and Luisa's routine is suddenly altered, and she is unsure of how to feel of it. In the laundromat, Concha (María Alfonsa Rosso) introduces herself and helps the newcomer Luisa with the machine.
The final note strikes only when Luisa locks her husband out of the house, after having told him that she does not want a new washing machine (as that would terminate her alibi of meeting with Concha). His husband is heard pounding at the door, yet she ignores the frightful sound with colorful music and leans back on the couch, which her husband was always the king of.
Some might say that a short is too easy, that it does not need the most intricate plot outlines or a need to "justify" itself in a way. I say it is the complete opposite. The music added a cultural feel, and the choice of start and stopping points made a linear story in a short amount of time, that it felt whole. If you can see it, do so, as it is only less than twenty minutes. And the feeling of revenge and satisfaction at the end of the movie--almost like an epiphany-- is worthwhile.
