Search - Family Law on DVD

Family ties that bind and heal......

D. Pawl | Seattle | 04/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"DERECHO DE FAMILIA (FAMILY LAW), the third and final installment in Daniel Burman's trilogy, finds the lead character Ariel Perleman (Daniel Hendler) teaching law at the university, while giving us a play-by-play of the events that lead up to his being there. What's more, we get a sense of the great divide that exists between him and his father, who he only refers to as "Perleman Senior" (Arturo Goetz), who practices law out of a firm where several people feel his son should work as well. It's never really clear where the breakdown in their relationship took place. What is evident is that Ariel is reluctant to form any interpersonal relationships, other than the one he builds with his wife, Sandra (Julieta Diaz), who stands out in the crowd of his students--many of them young and female. Sandra teaches Pilates, and Ariel takes her classes to get closer to her, after she drops out of his law class. They marry and have a beautiful son, Gaston. Ariel fails to form a bond with him and Sandra must juggle all activities that involve their child, while Ariel remains off to the side. This is truly a character study in broken relationships and how they effect and alter those involved.

Daniel Burman succeeds in creating a beautiful, humorous and touching film. It engages and touches your heart, all the while making you think about the consequences that evolve out of estrangement and emotional abandonment. What's more, sometimes we have the power to turn this pain around if we're sincere. I don't want to ruin the evolution of the plot development here. You're just going to have watch it and see for yourself. This is just beautiful."

"It's a shame you have to go so far away to breathe"

Sebastian Fernandez | Tampa, Florida United States | 09/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a beautiful movie about the process of going from being a son to being a father. The role of the son is played by the Uruguayan Daniel Hendler, and he plays this part to perfection. He also gets the opportunity to be the narrator of the story, which is a prominent feature of the movie, and which he performs with a great versatility, giving his voice the necessary tone to convey the mood of the situation.

Daniel Hendler portrays Dr. Ariel Perelman, a lawyer that works as a professor at the university and as a defense attorney for the state. He has a peculiar relationship with his father, sometimes showing admiration, and at others being distant. The father, Perelman Sr. has a colorful set of clients, and he uses his people's skills to get through his day as quickly and efficiently as possible. The narration of one of his normal days at the beginning of the movie provides great insight into how things usually work in Latin America.

When Ariel becomes infatuated with Sandra, a student in his class, he decides right there and then that once classes are over, she is going to become his wife. And surprisingly this works, but not after a series of pilates classes and a civil trial. They soon have a son, and now Ariel has to adapt to being a father and trying to establish a bond that will not end up like the one he has with his own father.

The film has a good balance between serious / dramatic moments and others that are funny and relaxed. One of my favorite aspects was how the culture from the Rio de la Plata is incorporated in the movie, to show the idiosyncrasies of its people. For example, the name in the lobby of the building in which Dr. Perelman has his study shows his name as PE ELMAN, and this has been the case for more than twenty years; it has never been fixed because people understand it anyway. There are many other examples of cases in which the culture plays a salient role in this film, but I will let you figure them out by yourself when you watch it, which you should most definitely do."

Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always interesting.

M. B. Alcat | Los Angeles, California | 05/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Derecho de familia" (="Family law") is a charming Argentinian film directed by Daniel Burman. This movie is about the relationship between a father and his son, and how the son learns to be a father himself, trying to avoid making the same mistakes his father made with him. It is also a film about accepting change, growing up, love, and Argentina.

I know, those are many subjects, but Hendler somehow manages to delve upon them all in an engaging way. The results are sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always interesting. That is the reason why I give "Derecho de familia" 3.5 stars out of 5, and recommend it to you :)

Belen Alcat"

Swell End of the Trilogy

E. Gilbert | Los Angeles, CA | 06/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the marvelous final installment of the three-film autobiographical series of films by Argetinian director Daniel Burman, reminding me somewhat of Truffaut's early films, that follow the central character, played in all three films by Daniel Hendler, to this final point of marraige, fatherhood and new maturity. The films are each really about fatherhood and living in the shadow of a father. While my favorite remains the middle film, "Lost Embrace," for its wonderful, quirky characters, its spirit and humaneness, all three films, which begin with "Waiting For the Messiah" and are set in the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, are among my recent favorites. "Family Law" rounds off the tale with loss and delicacy and wry wisdom."