A Chrysanthemum Bursts in Cincoesquinas

1998 film directed by Daniel Burman

1 November 1998 (1998-11-01) (Germany)
7 May 1998 (1998-05-07) (Argentina)

Running time

83 minutesCountriesArgentina
Brazil
France
SpainLanguageSpanish

Un crisantemo estalla en cinco esquinas (English: A Chrysanthemum Bursts in Cincoesquinas) is a 1998 Argentine, Brazilian, French, and Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Daniel Burman, in feature film debut. It was produced by Diego Dubcovsky. It stars José Luis Alfonzo, Pastora Vega and Martin Kalwill, among others.

Film critic Anthony Kaufman, writing for indieWIRE, said Burman's A Chrysanthemum Burst in Cincoesquinas (1998) has been cited as the beginning of the "New Argentine Cinema" wave.^[1]

Synopsis

The story takes place in South America at the turn of the 20th century. As a child, Erasmo was left with a nurse by his parents, who had to escape a waging civil war. Erasmo is now a grown man. He has lost his parents, and now his foster mother is brutally murdered. He seeks to avenge her death, and the culprit is the landowner and head of state, El Zancudo. Erasmo befriends a poor Jew named Saul, who is prepared to help him in his undertaking. Along the way, Erasmo finds allies, adversaries, love, and then Magdalena.

Cast

José Luis Alfonzo as Erasmo
Pastora Vega as La Gallega
Martin Kalwill as Saul
Valentina Bassi as Magdalena
Millie Stegman as La Boletera
Walter Reyno as El Zancudo
Roly Serrano as Cachao
Ricardo Merkin as Doctor
Aldo Romero as Lucio
María Luisa Argüello as Elsa
Sandra Ceballos as Mother
Guadalupe Farías Gómez as Albina
Antonio Tarragó Ross as Chamamecero

Distribution

The film was first presented at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 11, 1998. It opened in Argentina on May 7, 1998. It screened at the Muestra de Cine Argentino en Medellín, Colombia.

Awards

Wins

Sochi International Film Festival, Sochi, Russia: FIPRESCI Prize, Daniel Burman.

References

^ Kaufman, Anthony Archived 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine. indieWIRE, "Argentina's Next Wave Struggle Sustains Momentum Amid Economic Collapse," March 20, 2002.