The Cat Vanishes

I saw this at the Toronto Film Festival and am sorry to see that it has not yet received wider distribution. It's about a professor who returns home after being hospitalized for a serious psychotic episode, but his wife is not certain that all is well. And the cat has mysteriously vanished, too. What's going on here? This is one of the most satisfying homages to Hitchcock that I have ever seen. Though, low key, it is very witty and playful. It does not go in for broad gestures, but subtle ones instead. The suspense is initially seems almost an afterthought, and then it builds up by slight degrees until it reaches a suitably droll Hitchcock-ian conclusion. The director, Carlos Sorin, spoke at the screening and said that he was not used to making this kind of movie and that he had no plans to make any more. I certainly hope that he reconsiders because he brings a great deal of wry humour and directorial skill to this project. I saw another more highly touted Argentine film this year, Carancho, but I thought this film was easily superior, partly because of its lightness of touch. Well worth seeking out if you ever get the opportunity to see it.