Francisco Lezama
It’s curious how mainstream cinema has explored complex topics like language or semiotics — The Matrix, for example — but has rarely delved into economics, let alone inflation. This might be because the primary centers of the film industry are based in the United States and Europe, where inflation hasn’t been a significant concern until recently.
In Argentina, on the other hand, a practical understanding of economic dynamics is common among people of all social classes. When I wrote An Odd Turn, I wanted to narrate a currency run, which is an enigmatic and intricate phenomenon. I designed the plot with its twists — those “narrative excuses” Alfred Hitchcock spoke of — but during shooting, I focused on documenting how such an event transforms the urban atmosphere in Buenos Aires and the rest of the country.
Inflation erodes wages in pesos, pushing people to buy US dollars to take refuge. This kind of speculative betting, necessary to safeguard savings, affects many dimensions of life: work, relationships, even romance. In the face of inflation, financial speculation and esoteric fortune telling seem to have created a peculiar form of common language, one that is already deeply rooted in Argentina, almost like folklore.
In a currency run, society secretly divides into two groups: those who can afford to buy dollars, and those who can’t. It’s a silent yet profound rupture.
In a currency run, society secretly divides into two groups: those who can afford to buy dollars, and those who can’t. It’s a silent yet profound rupture. The first group enjoys a temporary relief, while the second watches their savings and wages erode in value. What lingers in the air is a mysterious fusion of melancholy and strain.
In that sense, I’m not completely sure if the short is universally understandable, but I trust that cinema goes…
Auteur: Francisco Lezama
