quickly replaced with warmth, music and dialogue whenever he approaches the ongoing action (the ministry, surrounded by his cohorts or friends; as well as her sister and family). A recurrent theme has Rubén being unable to walk through any door while on screen. Filming locations The film was filmed in Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata, Argentina. Distribution The film was first featured at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 13, 2006. Later it screened at the Toulouse Latin America Film Festival, France, on March 22, 2006. In the United States the film opened on March 22, 2007. The picture was also shown at various film festivals, including: the Alba Regia International Film Festival, Romania; the Transilvania International Film Festival, Czech Republic; the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Netherlands; the Dubai International Film Festival, Dubai; the Uruguayan Film Festival; the Santiago International Film Festival, Chile; the Arras Film Festival, France, and others. Release dates by country of production Argentina: April 6, 2006 France: April 7, 2007 Germany: May 24, 2007 Uruguay: April 1, 2006 Critical reception Diego Lerer, film critic for Argentina's daily Clarín, lauded Moreno's innovative directorial effort and wrote, "The movie is a triumph of mise-en-scene. Each shot has a reason to exist since Ruben's point-of-view is always respected, and the images and sounds we perceive reveal more about his inner life than any conversation or explanation...[the] great thing about Moreno...is that the so-called Argentine new wave is still able to produce films that are thought to be provoking, different and challenging. " Critic Deborah Young, critic for Variety magazine, also liked Moreno's directorial work and his cinema group's technical effort and wrote, "One of the more admirable aspects of the film is Moreno's tight control over the camera work and editing. Cinematographer Barbara Alvarez uses the sterility of fixed frame shots and desaturated colors as correlates to the protag's compulsively rule-driven life. Nicolas Goldbart's editing gives the story a steady, somewhat numbing rhythm." When the film was featured at the Uruguayan Film Festival, critic Mariana Amieva wrote, "Rodrigo Moreno, showcases the excellent work of Julio Chávez, one of the best Argentine actors around today. The story focuses on one of those characters that always goes unnoticed, in this case a grey bodyguard." Yet, she believes the film "becomes a little lost" at the end. Soundtrack All music in the film is diegetic; that is, exists within the