lapetrov If you ever watched "The Wonder Years" and enjoyed the combination of youth and wisdom you will enjoy this movie, set in 1969. The child actor is fabulous and endears himself and his character immediately. Combining child p.o.v. with the hind-sight of adult understanding and narration (in a child's voice) the film achieves great realness. Based on the real-life story of the director/writer, it's wonderfully nostalgic and yet powerfully cathartic. If you never cry or laugh during this film, please see a doctor as your heart may be already stopped. But it isn't over-sentimentalized or trivialized at all. Quite the opposite, it's the story of agonizing loss borne with true emotional strength. Filmed in Argentina, it takes you on a trip to another time and place all the while telling the timeless tale of a child's unending capacity to love. Moving, important and true. Highly recommended.

anhedonia Hollywood filmmakers could learn plenty from this marvelous little film from Argentina.Rodrigo Noya is utterly charming and captivating as the title character, a 9-year-old boy who builds stuff for astronauts and whose attitude toward life and love is more adult than many of the adults in his life, including his father.Director Alejandro Agresti's script is clever, humorous and poignant, yet, never becomes maudlin. Even a key moment in the story is deftly handled without an ounce of sentimentality. A Hollywood film most likely would have milked that scene dry with a melodramatic score and character histrionics."Valentín" is a celebration of childhood innocence. But it's also about how lessons learned as a young boy shape the adult man he is to become. There are moments in this film written so smartly you appreciate Agresti's talent. For instance, Valentin's scenes with Leticia are funny because of the way the two actors play the scenes so naturally, their dialogue and actions make perfect sense. Or, listen to the conversation between Valentin and his neighbor when they discuss the neighbor's ex-girlfriend over a cup of tea.And the film's ending? A perfect close to a lovely story. Do yourself a favor and see this brilliant gem.

holborn_2003 Valentin is about the most manipulative and cloyingly 'cute' movie that I have seen in a very long time. Think of it as 'Pollyanna' for the over 11s. If you feel that you can endure a cross-eyed, doe-eyed kid turning on the cute button to maximum for 95 minutes, then maybe it's the movie for you. This is no 'Cinema Paradiso' (though it obviously thinks it is), merely an exercise in forcing otherwise sane adults to observe children through rose-tinted specs. Not even Carmen Maura's fine performance as young Valentin's grandmother can save the film. Pass the sick-bucket, someone?

Floresco What a relief. What a movie. What a simple and beautiful message. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Why is it so hard to find a movie like this? Never too sentimental, never cheesy, but full of fantasy and realism at the same time. How does he do it? I can only say... go see it!