Photo: Pablo Trapero's Rolling Family
When an octogenarian abuela suggests to her immediate family that they ride to a wedding far from their Buenos Aires home base, problems arise as soon as the clan boards their run-down motor home: a stray dog joins the group, pesky road cops ask for everyone's identity papers, and one woman's vicious toothache threatens to permanently sidetrack the mission. Besides running out of gas and breaking down at various points, the motor home is the stage for flaring tempers and impromptu make-out sessions between cousins and, later, a woman and her brother-in-law. Rolling Family is gimmicky in the sense that director Pablo Trapero understands that people will do wild and crazy things when forced to live together inside a sardine container, but while the film is completely unpretentious and moves at a pleasant pace, it's also featherweight. Maybe it's the lack of affection exchanged between the cast of non-actors, but the film's characters are scarcely believable as a family unit. Ed Gonzalez
When an octogenarian abuela suggests to her immediate family that they ride to a wedding far from their Buenos Aires home base, problems arise as soon as the clan boards their run-down motor home: a stray dog joins the group, pesky road cops ask for everyone's identity papers, and one woman's vicious toothache threatens to permanently sidetrack the mission. Besides running out of gas and breaking down at various points, the motor home is the stage for flaring tempers and impromptu make-out sessions between cousins and, later, a woman and her brother-in-law. Rolling Family is gimmicky in the sense that director Pablo Trapero understands that people will do wild and crazy things when forced to live together inside a sardine container, but while the film is completely unpretentious and moves at a pleasant pace, it's also featherweight. Maybe it's the lack of affection exchanged between the cast of non-actors, but the film's characters are scarcely believable as a family unit. Ed Gonzalez
