Waiting for the Messiah

REVIEW
In this poignant and delicately funny film about self-discovery, a small group of Buenos Aires residents are torn between cultural traditions and personal passions. Twenty-something Ariel Goldstein (Daniel Hendler) lives in the Jewish section of the city where he earns money video-taping weddings and bar mitzvahs. When his mother dies, his future seems clear: he will take her place helping his father in the family restaurant and lose his virginity to his childhood girlfriend. But the predetermined future entraps Ariel and he seeks solace elsewhere in Santamaría (Enrique Pineyro), a homeless man who retrieves stolen i.d. cards. To further complicate matters, Ariel meets the beautiful Laura (Chiara Caselli) who is Christian, bisexual and elusive. Waiting for the Messiah captures a culture filled with humanity, humor and hope even as Ariel waits in frustration and passionate confusion for a convoluted love.