Still bitter from a recent divorce, martial arts instructor Clever discovers a car tricked out with flames in his neighborhood and sets out on a single-minded quest: to find the artist and treat his own vehicle. His journey leads to a secluded village, and to an enigmatic personality who isn’t quite what he expects. Delightfully odd and idiosyncratic, Clever is an absurd satire of the fragile façade of masculinity.
Acting
Hugo Piccinini's committed deadpan carries every uncomfortable beat.
Direction
Borgia and Madeiro mine surreal tension from mundane Uruguayan landscapes.
Director
Federico Borgia
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Borgia and Madeiro's first fiction feature after years of documentary work, explaining the almost anthropological gaze on male ritual.
The film quietly critiques Uruguay's 'macho' culture through Clever's martial arts posturing—his dojo is nearly empty, his power entirely imaginary.
UY
