La edad media

The Middle Ages
Films about confinement during the pandemic may have gone viral, but La edad media is a species of a whole other kind. Lucid and ludic, terribly funny but also deeply serious at the same time, this film co-directed by dancer and choreographer Luciana Acuña and filmmaker Alejo Moguillansky has a wise, privileged narrator: their ten-year-old daughter Cleo. Through her eyes, the film deals with far more issues than mere Covid routines, such as online lessons and virtual shopping, the latter of which turns awfully weird here. Rampant inflation, cultural policy and market value are on the menu of La edad media, which expands upon the question raised by Moguillansky in his previous film Por el dinero (2019): is it possible for artists to pay the bills with their work? And if so, at what cost? The cinematic use of the restricted space of the family home is masterful in all its possibilities, which Acuña and Moguillansky embrace with a crazy, slapstick spirit augmented with Samuel Beckett’s Theatre of the Absurd. And a special mention goes to Juana, the family dog: Aki Kaurismäki would surely love to cast her in his next film.
by Alejo Moguillansky, Luciana Acuña
with Cleo Moguillansky, Alejo Moguillansky, Luciana Acuña, Lisandro Rodríguez, Walter Jakob, Lalo Rotavería, Luis Biasotto, Oscar Strasnoy
Argentina 2022 Spanish, English 90’ Colour World premiere

With

  • Cleo Moguillansky
  • Alejo Moguillansky
  • Luciana Acuña
  • Lisandro Rodríguez
  • Walter Jakob
  • Lalo Rotavería
  • Luis Biasotto
  • Oscar Strasnoy

Crew

Director Alejo Moguillansky, Luciana Acuña
Written by Alejo Moguillansky, Luciana Acuña, Walter Jakob
Cinematography Alejo Moguillansky
Editing Alejo Moguillansky, Mariano Llinás
Music Fernando Tur, Oscar Strasnoy
Sound Design Marcos Canosa
Sound Marcos Canosa
Production Design Alejo Moguillansky, Luciana Acuña
Executive Producers Laura Citarella, Ingrid Pokropek, Alejo Moguillansky, Luciana Acuña
Producers Laura Citarella, Ingrid Pokropek, Alejo Moguillansky, Luciana Acuña

Alejo Moguillansky

Born in 1978 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied film and works as a writer, editor, producer, actor and director. His films are regularly invited to major international festivals. In collaboration with Luciana Acuña and Grupo Krapp, he has created numerous dance and theatre productions in addition to his cinematic work. Alejo Moguillansky is a professor at the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires.

Filmography

2005 La prisionera (The Prisoner); 75 min. 2009 Castro; 90 min. 2013 El loro y el cisne (The Parrot and the Swan); 100 min. 2014 El escarabajo de oro (The Gold Bug); 100 min. 2017 La vendedora de fósforos (The Little Match Girl); 67 min. 2019 Por el dinero (For the Money); 80 min. 2020 Un día de caza (Hunting Day); 30 min. · La noche submarina (The Underwater Night); 80 min. 2021 Carta a Antonioni (Letter to Antonioni); 18 min. 2022 La edad media (The Middle Ages); 90 min.

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022

Luciana Acuña

Born in 1975 in Córdoba, Argentina. She studied contemporary dance and works as an actor, dancer and choreographer. Luciana Acuña is a director of the interdisciplinary Grupo Krapp ensemble. Her artistic works, performances and installations have been featured at festivals and theatres on multiple continents. She is a professor at the Universidad Nacional de las Artes in Buenos Aires.

Filmography

2020 Un día de caza (Hunting Day); 20 min. 2022 La edad media (The Middle Ages); 90 min.

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022