Eggplant Lasagna

A young artist and his father attempt to understand each other and improve their relationship.

A painter (Carretero) is working in his studio, when he receives an unexpected visit by his father (Borenstein), who is a lawyer. The son hasn't been visiting his parents regularly and the father wants to invite him to his home to have dinner with himself and his wife. The visit and request leads to a series of conversations between them, in which they discuss their lives, the relationship between them, their jobs, their perceptions of life and they try to improve things between them.

The main focus of this experimental drama feature from Brazil is the relationship between father and son. Although the two of them care for each other, they still have their differences. In an effort to make things better, the parent wants his child to come to his home and spend quality time together. Before he can agree, the son engages his father to be honest about his feelings and asks him to play role-playing games with him, in which their lives are swapped. The conversations that they have feel awkward at times, but also seem philosophical and dramatic. The son's unconventional idea helps the two of them learn more about each other's lives and themselves and as they attempt to understand one another, they have fake arguments and bond and laugh together. The atmosphere is sometimes dramatic, sometimes humorous and it is interesting watching the two protagonists interact with each other and try to be each other. Although the story explores the life of an artist or a lawyer, it also looks into the world of filmmaking.

The narrative takes place inside the artist's studio and the artist and his father are pretty much the only characters in the film. The actors do a decent job and have good chemistry between them. Carretero plays a painter, who has a great deal of passion for his profession and defends what he believes in. Borenstein is a seasoned lawyer, who does not understand art as well as his son.

Regarding filmmaking techniques, slow motion is sometimes utilised and the soundtrack is entertaining and includes rock songs.

This movie is an intriguing achievement and contains creative storytelling methods. It is a character study, with well-written dialogue and deals with themes of reconciliation, regrets, family, the world of art and making the right decisions.