THE AURA/EL AURA (2005, Argentina, 134 min.), directed by Fabián Belinsky; screenplay by Fabián Belinsky; cinematography by Checco Varese; music by Lucio Godoy; edited by Alejandro Carrillo Penovi and Fernando Pardo; with Ricardo Darín (The Taxidermist), Dolores Fonzi (Diana Dietrich), Pablo Cedrón (Sosa, the thug), Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (Julio, Diana’s brother), Jorge D’Elía (Urien, the casino insider), Alejandro Awada (Sontag, the taxidermist’s friend), Rafa Castejón (Carlos Dietrich), Walter Reyno (Montero, the boss). In Spanish with English subtitles.
Please jot down answers to the following questions and answer three in detail. One of the three longer answers should be to the final question.
1. Discuss the film’s title. What is the importance of “the aura,” which we learn is the feeling experienced by an epileptic just prior to a seizure? Why title the film in this way?
2. The film works very much within the tradition of the film noir genre. What are some of the noirish elements here?
3. The film quickly moves into a familiar subgenre of the noir thriller—the “caper” film, where a big heist is being planned and executed. What are some of the familiar elements here, and where do you see differences from the classic caper film?
4. Discuss the film’s setting. What does its geographical setting contribute to the mood and meaning of the film?
5. You’ll notice that the film marks the passage of time by using titles indicating the day of the week. What’s the point of that?
6. At the heart of the film is its nameless protagonist, the taxidermist who is in virtually every scene. Describe him, physically and emotionally. What motivates him? What does he come to learn over the course of the film?
7. What is the point of making the protagonist an epileptic? What do you make of his comment regarding the pre-seizure “aura”: “During those few seconds, you’re free; there’s no choice”? What does this tell us about him?
8. What role does the dog play in the film?
9. Discuss Diana, Dietrich’s young wife, and the taxidermist’s relationship with her.
10. How about Sosa and Montero, the taxidermist’s two partners in crime? Discuss their interactions with each other and with the taxidermist.
11. Discuss the execution of the caper itself.
12. What do you think of the ending of the film? What exactly has occurred? Are the narrative threads all tied up at the end?
13. Discuss the cinematography. What kind of mood is created by the film’s visual elements? Give a specific example or two.
14. Now do the same thing with the music in the film. When is music heard, and why?
15. Compare/contrast the five reviews of the
film. Which was your favorite, and why?