Two friends (Vilmar Paiva and Franco Heiler) are preparing for the Carnival Gualguaychú in Argentina. While one is participating in it, the other acts as a spectator to the events that unfold and the two men meet a host of interesting characters. Taking place in the hours leading up to the eventual carnival, we see how men are transformed into glitzy costumed eye-candy for the people who come to watch.
If my synopsis in the first paragraph appears to be woolly, that’s because there’s not a whole lot of story to go at here. Director Marco Berger (‘Taekwondo’, ‘The Blonde One’) has created a docu-drama that has all of the appearance of a documentary but features fictionalised elements and characters. It’s an interesting choice because the characters here don’t have very much to do so it’s not like that decision added a new dimension to what could have easily been a straight-forward documentary.
Anyone who has seen Berger’s previous work will know what to expect. This film particularly feels similar to 2016’s ‘Taekwondo’, where the viewer is made to feel like a voyeur as the camera captures lingering shots of muscled bodies, nude buttocks and crotches packed into tight-fitting pants. While that has become a Berger trademark, and has worked well in previous films such as 2009’s ‘Plan B’ and 2019’s ‘The Blonde One’, it’s not enough to hold your attention here.
The film feels like series of unconnected scenes with very little in the way of a cohesive or strong narrative to hold it together. These men are connected only by their participation and interest in the carnival but we don’t get to really know them. A deeper dive into their motivations or their backgrounds would have helped but everything here is very surface level.
‘The Carnival’ really does lack focus unfortunately and there’s little to draw you in other than the sight of attractive men. If that’s enough for you, then you’ll love it but if you want more of a narrative you’re going to be left disappointed. Berger never really gets under the skin of the men who participate in the carnival so all you’re left with is long scenes of dialogue and banter that don’t progress the story.
Cast: Franco Heiler, Vilmar Paiva, Gaston Re, Julieta Tramanzoli Director: Marco Berger Writers: Marco Berger and Martín Farina Certificate: 18 Duration: 78 mins Released by: TLA Releasing Release date: 27th September 2021 Buy ‘The Carnival’ now
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