Rafael Alvarez

Movies

Roads in February
Boom Operator
Driven by childhood memories and the hope of a reencounter, Sarah visits her paternal grandmother in her village in Uruguay. She takes long to understand the prevailing unease… But she is soon faced with the gap between her fantasy regarding the place of origin and that village of old people forgotten by Modernity where the heat is overwhelming and the days seem to last forever. Cultural shock, humor, tenderness and sadness give shape to this bitter-sweet film.
Freedom is a Big Word
Sound
After thirteen years in Guantanamo, Muhammad is set free and taken to Uruguay. He has a second chance in an unknown place where he shall start to live a new life in freedom.
Loveling
Sound Recordist
On the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Irene has only a few days to overcome her anxiety and renew her strength before sending her eldest son out into the world.
Dolphins Go East
Sound Recordist
Miguel Ángel García Mazziotti, a Río de la Plata's decadent showbiz gay figure, receives the visit of his daughter Virginia, of whom he has been distanced for years. "The Fat", as everybody calls him in Punta del Este, openly rejects her visit, but when realizes will become a grandfather he can't help getting thrilled and celebrate Virginia's happiness. As a result they share a real familiar weekend that, as many families, to be happy it has to be fake.
Avant
Sound Director
A forgotten national ballet company set in a theater under construction is shaken into life by the arrival of Julio Bocca, one of the best ballet dancers of all time.
Darwin's Corner
Boom Operator
Gastón (Jorge Temponi) is very attached to technology and is still in love with an ex-girlfriend who left him. He inherits an old house from his grandfather far from the city and must travel there accompanied by Américo (Carlos Frasca), a clerk somewhat depressed by his old age. The driver and owner of the truck in which they travel is Beto (Jorge Esmoris), a carrier with a somewhat murky past. The place where they are going was visited by the English naturalist Charles Darwin in 1833, where he collected fundamental information to later develop the theory of evolution.
Mean and Lean Cows
Boom Operator
Olga, Teresa and Pilar have been friends since they were born. For years they vacationed together with their parents, and later together on their own. A few years ago, Teresa got married, and for some years they didn't see each other as much. Teresa's divorce prompts a reunion, so the three of them rent a small house for the weekend. In their first day together, it becomes obvious that everything they share is in their past. They have grown apart.
A Bullet for Che
Sound
Ethel is a 60-year-old psychoanalyst who chose to access documents declassified by the Uruguayan goverment to know the identity of the perpetrators of the death of her husband. His death occured on August 17th 1961 at a University ceremony where Che Guevara delivered one of his first speeches after the revolutionary triumph of the Cuban revolution. The bullet that killed a history teacher was considered a failed attack against Che Guevara planned by the CIA.
From the Waters
Sound Director
Villa Santo Domingo de Soriano was founded in 1624 by the first Europeans in the Banda Oriental (which is now Uruguay). This documentary re-discovers the settlement with a visit to its inhabitants and its houses, on the banks of the silent Rio Negro. The reality of this place is a reflection of a country's identity, as it tries to recover what it once was without giving up the will to prosper.
The Us of Back Then
Sound Director
This documentary takes us back to the events surrounding 1958 when the University Organic Law was passed. We hear the testimony of three university teachers who took part in the debates and the student activism at that time: the experiences of people who were young “back then”, the cultural context of the period and the connection between the students and the worker's movement.
The Imaginary Line
Sound Director
This documentary takes us to the three most important festivals of the year in Aceguá, and thus tells the story of the town. It sits on the border between Uruguay and Brazil, but it is on an imaginary line as this is a dry border as there is no river or stream to mark the boundary. We meet the characters, we watch their activities and we are introduced to their customs.
Growing Old Living
Sound Director
To grow old in Rivera is to grow old on the border. The protagonists of this documentary tell us in Portuguese as well as in Spanish about their lives far from the bustle of the capital city. Their days are long, their work is hard, they have few opportunities to improve their situation, but they still haven't lost the ability to smile or their love of life. The aim of this documentary is to show what the process of growing old in Uruguay is like, and to raise people's awareness about the situation of the elderly. It shows, without prejudice, just what old age is.
Carnaval in Baltasar Brum
Sound Director
Baltasar Brum is a town of three thousand souls in the department of Artigas. In 1986 the train station was closed down and the community was in danger of disappearing altogether, but today it is still there and in fact it is growing. The local samba “schools”, which are similar to these organizations in Brazil except that they speak Spanish, tell the story of the town and its outstanding figures against a background of local and more universal events. The documentary shows how carnival is celebrated in this Uruguayan border town.