Institute History
Description
Set in the austere and desolate beauty of Patagonia, Sin Querer opens with the arrival of Rojas in the remote and dusty town of San Lorenzo. Charged by the authorities in Buenos Aires with the absurd mission of building a road to transport a ship across the desert to the nearby lake, he soon finds that beneath the dull and stultifying routine of the provinces lies petty political intrigue, violence, and adultery. Despite his status as an outsider, he quickly becomes involved in all three.
In this intense, poetic film, the ship is a symbol of progress, of the possibility of change in the eternal relationships of dominance, servitude, compromise, and deceit which govern lives in San Lorenzo. With stoic fatalism, its men and women live sin querer, without loving, and indeed without real passion. Rojas embodies the hope both for love and change, but his stay is like that of the flamingos at the nearby lake: The migratory birds arrive, remain a short while, and then pass on. A momentary disturbance in the social life of San Lorenzo, he illuminates its inner workings, but, with one exception (or two?), his influence is transitory.
Marked by stunning cinematography, economy of dialogue, and skillful use of suspense, symbol, and character, Sin Querer is a remarkable first film for director Ciro Cappellari. It is also a psychologically complex and compelling treatment of the themes of fatalism and failure versus choice and freedom.
Ciro Cappellari, Director
Born in Buenos Aires in 1959, Ciro Cappellari trained to be a photographer. In 1985, after making a few short films, he went to Berlin to study at the German Film and Television Academy and, after graduation, worked as a screenwriter, cameraman, and director in Germany, Switzerland, the United States, and Argentina. His previous films include the documentary Amor America (1989) and the dramatic feature Hijo Del Rio (1991).