Finding THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS

From left: Guillermo Francella (Santiago) and Fabián Arenillas (Eugenio) did everything together. Catch THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS and other films for free at Argentinian Film Festival 2016 from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall.

From right: Guillermo Francella (Santiago) and Fabián Arenillas (Eugenio) did everything together. Catch THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS and other films for free at Argentinian Film Festival 2016 from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall.

My Angel, My Warmth, I love you at any age.

Written by

Jude Thaddeus L. Bautista

Santiago (Guillermo Francella) and Eugenio (Fabián Arenillas) have known each other for more than 30 years. They’re business partners but for Santiago they were more than that closer than brothers or even twins. They did everything together from breakfast to paddle ball and drive the same model and make of a car. One morning Eugenio didn’t show up and it baffled Santiago. Eugenio’s wife Laura (Ines Estevez) suddenly came storming in their office screaming. She was a lot more definite with what happened; he abandoned her, the business and everyone else.

Ines Estevez (Laura) and Guillermo Francella (Santiago); Catch THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS and other films for free at Argentinian Film Festival 2016 from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall.

Laura is middle aged, blonde, kooky but has this Latin fire in her. Santiago and Laura tried to retrace the places where they knew Eugenio would go. On Thursdays she revealed they went dancing ‘Mambo for me and Salsa for him’. Just as Santiago asked how they did this, a tall, young, handsome dancer pulls Laura to the dance floor. Laura adds, “We each had different partners that’s why it was so much fun.” When the music died down to a slow dance Laura pulled Santiago to dance and embraced him. He was still very much confused not just with the disappearance but there was a whole side to his friend he didn’t know about. She whispered, “We pretended to be strangers and introduce ourselves with different names and stories every time. We’d always end up at the hotel in the corner.”

Argentinian Amb. Roberto Bosch; Catch THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS and other films for free at Argentinian Film Festival 2016 from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall.

THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS (El Misterio Dela Felicidad) is one of many films in the Argentinian Film Festival 2016 you can watch for free from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall. There are a total of 6 award-winning films in the line up, most of them garnering accolades in Cannes and other international fests.

From left: Guillermo Francella (Santiago) and Fabián Arenillas (Eugenio) did everything together. Catch THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS and other films for free at Argentinian Film Festival 2016 from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall.

THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS is a fun romp that is very Argentinian whether its family barbecues or saucy dances. While it is amusing, touching, charming we learn the universal truths of friendship and recapturing the lost once in a lifetime opportunity that is love.

Ines Estevez (Laura); Catch THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS and other films for free at Argentinian Film Festival 2016 from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall.-photo from http://www.facebook.com/inesestevezoficial

Ines Estevez

The two lifelong buds of Santiago & Eugenio may be the leads at the start but the wife Laura played by Ines Estevez very easily steals the show. She plays her as a very frazzled and mentally unbalanced character, which is understandable for a woman dealing with a missing husband. But she is kooky and vulnerable in an endearing way that audiences can’t help but fall for her.

Ines is a very accomplished actress having won awards from her work in cinema, TV and theater. Most recently she has gone back to her musical roots and has proven to be a captivating jazz singer as well. She teamed up with established Bassist Javier Malosetti who is also her life partner.

Ines Estevez (Laura) and Javier Malosetti; Catch THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS and other films for free at Argentinian Film Festival 2016 from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall.-photo from http://www.facebook.com/inesestevezoficial

Ines has showed her conviction, standing up for herself in a huge facebook controversy just this week. She was bullied by netizens who criticized her as being too old (at 52) for showing too much cleavage at a red carpet event.

She responded by saying on her fb page (roughly translated from Spanish) “the human body is not something that is offensive. I don’t think we should support perfection knowing the trend towards surgeries, maiming, anorexia and bulimia. So I propose: accept each person’s uniqueness; avoid the tyranny of eternal youth, live and let live.

Ines Estevez (Laura); Catch THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS and other films for free at Argentinian Film Festival 2016 from August 19-22, 2016 at Shang Cineplex, Shang Rila Plaza Mall.

And every one of those who have written something against my cleavage upload a photo of your pecs on my page http://www.facebook.com/inesestevezoficial Because of their destructive criticism, you will see a recent picture of my boobies, taken this evening in a natural position, without silicone or photoshop. I am proud of them.” Ines’ spunk and daring in real life also shines through in her role as Laura here in this film.

Guillermo Francella

Guillermo who played the abandoned business partner Santiago is no slouch himself. He is one of the most recognizable film and TV stars in Argentina. Whether it’s a comedy, drama or action he’s done it. His international success came in 2009 as part of the cast in THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, which won Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. He also earned rave reviews from his newest film THE CLAN (2015) as Arquímedes Puccio the patriarch of a crime family.

His performance here THE MYSTERY… is the discreet gentleman trying to make sense of his partner’s disappearance. He becomes convincing because he never overacts. His is a very precise and measured approach, everything comes naturally. His character finds that the mystery of happiness isn’t in wanting more but is in discovering what is already in his life and looking at them in a new way.