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A slice of life in Buenos Aires

Performance Notes: What: Day to Day (Solo Por Hoy) When: Screens at 1:50pm Where: Carnival Cinema, 52 Omei St., Taipei Ticket: Tickets are available at the door

Every day you are dreaming of being something you aren't. You may be very talented in something or working toward a certain goal, but every day you spent time doing something else either because you have to make a living or you always have excuses.

If you've ever had similar feelings, you ought to see Day to Day (Solo Por Hoy), a film by young Argentinian director Ariel Rotter, which will screen today as part of the Golden Horse Film Festival.

It's a slice-of-life kind of film with a chill-out soundtrack and free-hand camera portraying the rich colors of contemporary Buenos Aires. It's not intended to be a light film, Rotter yesterday told Taipei Times when he arrived for the festival. "I hope everyone can find his own meaning in watching the film," he said, accompanying his girlfriend, Aili Chen (陳孟孜), who also happens to be the film's lead actress.

The story tells of five people sharing an apartment in Buenos Aires, each dealing with their lifes' aspirations differently. Rotter chose to use a mosaic of "flashes" of the five characters' lives over the course of five weekdays.

Equis works in a restaurant and has to chop up loads of food for his chef every day. Once in a while he bumps into the same beautiful girl at the bus stop. Lacking the courage to talk to her, he misses one chance after another. He dreams of leaving the barren Buenos Aires scene for Paris to become a chef.

Toro has always wanted to be an actor. He's working as a cleaner in a hotel, but constantly goes out on auditions. Having not landed a substantial role, he starts thinking he should give up on the idea.

Aili is a girl from Taipei. She rides her 150cc motorcycle around the city every day working as a delivery person. She sometimes goes to Chinese supermarkets to talk to people in her native language. She wants to be a painter.

Moron is confused about life. He takes a video camera to the streets, taping people and asking them "what is the happiest thing in your life?" He discovers one day that he's in love with Aili and so goes to Buenos Aires' Chinatown to learn about he native culture.

Fer is the oldest and most hopeless. He's in debt and his temp job is on the rocks. He knows he needs to change, but doesn't know how. And there's not enough time.

The film is 28-year-old Rotter's first feature effort, but it has traveled in film festivals to Rotterdam, Berlin, New York, Vancouver and elsewhere. Rotter has, perhaps, grasped the universal anxiety of modern human beings -- at least according to some who've seen the film. "An elderly man came to me in tears after the screening, saying if he had seen the film 40 years ago, his life would have been so different," Rotter told Taipei Times.

The film is also about Rotter and Chen's own experiences. "I sometimes wonder what's going on with our lives. Even after we've been through many festivals, we still worry about the phone bills and rent back in Buenos Aires," Rotter said with a laugh.

Aili Chen, who immigrated from Taipei to Argentina 16 years ago, said her character reminded her of her youth -- graduating from art school and feeling lost. Chen's first film experience was in Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai's (王家衛) Happy Together where she worked as a translator. In Day to Day, she's not only the only girl in the cast, but also was the film's art director. She now works as an art director for a film company.

Just as Moron falls for Aili in the film, so Rotter has fallen for her in real life. "In searching for life's goals, love is also very important," Rotter said. He said that the character of Moron is based on himself. "We have an old saying in Argentina that if you keep digging a hole deep enough, you will reach China," he said. "In fact, this film is my declaration of love to Aili," he said.
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