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Plan B
R2 - United Kingdom - Network Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (17th September 2010). |
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The Film
 Plan B (Marco Berger, 2009) 
Marking the first feature-length production of writer-director Marco Berger, the Argentinian drama Plan B offers a subversive perspective on the conventional romantic drama. The film revolves around Bruno (Manuel Vignau), a twenty-something man who laments the end of his relationship with his former girlfriend Laura (Mercedes Quinteros). Laura has become involved with photographer Pablo (Lucas Ferraro), although from time to time she still sleeps with Bruno. After discussing his desire to regain the affections of Laura with a friend, Bruno hatches ‘Plan B’: Laura has told Bruno that Pablo has had at least one sexual experience with a man, and Bruno plans to ‘seduce’ Pablo in order to end his relationship with Laura – thus leaving Laura free to return to her relationship with Bruno. After staging a meeting with Pablo (who doesn’t know Bruno) at the local gym, Bruno begins forming a friendship with Pablo. However, against Bruno’s wishes the two men genuinely begin to fall in love with each other.  
The macho culture of Latin America has traditionally seen homosexuality as a form of weakness – although things are apparently changing, with Argentina recently becoming the first Latin American country to legalise same sex marriage (see Corrales, 2009: np). The taboo nature of homosexuality in this macho culture is important for Plan B, as from the outset the plot hinges on Pablo’s alleged ‘indiscretion’ with another man during his youth, and the gradual erosion of Bruno’s prejudice against Pablo’s supposed homosexual tendencies. (Relatively late in the film, it is revealed that the rumours surrounding Pablo’s gay experience are false – something which is signposted for the audience from a fairly early point in the narrative.) As Bruno ‘romances’ Pablo, the audience begins to realise how similar they are. Their mutual enjoyment of time-wasting chit-chat leads to an awareness of how similar the two men’s childhoods were. Pablo and Bruno even slightly resemble one another. The film presents each man as the double of the other, with their desire for Laura as the fulcrum of their relationship – and, ultimately, the catalyst for a series of events which lead both Bruno and Pablo to question their own sexuality and embrace their developing love for one another. 
Superficially, Bruno is an unsympathetic character. His strange relationship with Laura, in which the two sleep together behind Pablo’s back, marks him as devious; his plan to win Laura back, as if he can manipulate and control Laura’s affections, signals his chauvinistic outlook (from the outset, in a post-coital chat Laura tells Bruno that 'It's fine meeting up with you from time to time, but I'll never get back with you'). However, as Bruno gets to know Pablo, initially becoming near-inseparable friends with him and then falling in love with him, his macho hubris is undercut and he becomes increasingly sympathetic. Both he and Pablo find their prejudicial attitude towards homosexuality to be questioned as the narrative progresses: Bruno believes that Pablo had previously slept with a man because Pablo once lied to Laura, telling her that he had experienced a gay relationship because ‘I pretend to be modern, but I'm old-fashioned and I have a girlfriend' (as he tells Bruno when Bruno suggests that they sleep together). Later, Pablo tells a female friend about his lie to Laura, confessing that he perhaps told her he’d slept with a man because ‘I guess it appealed to me in some way. Now I'm a bit confused with a friend I met not too long ago'. 
Bruno and Pablo’s love for one another comes as a shock to both of them: when Bruno buys Pablo a present and tells him ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I love you, man. I want you only for myself’, both men are unsure how to react. Importantly, neither of them are sure that their love for one another is entirely positive. As Bruno tells a male friend, 'I can't explain this. I hope this never happens to you. My head hurts. I spend all my time thinking and thinking'. Plan B presents all relationships as undeniably complex and contradictory – both satisfying and troubling. Laura’s relationship with Pablo is undermined by her continued sexual relationship with Bruno; and Bruno and Pablo’s relationship is mired in ambivalence towards their desire for one another. Providing an ironic subversion of the conventions of the romantic drama, taking a conventional narrative and allowing it to develop in an unconventional way (in a conventional picture, Bruno’s plan would ‘work’ and Bruno would rekindle his relationship with Laura rather than uncovering his latent homosexuality), Plan B is a clever and sensitive film; its handling of Bruno and Pablo’s growing relationship is supported by some very well-written scenes in which the two men reflexively (but not self-consciously) discuss their pasts, foregrounding the similarities that exist between them. However, the film is also held back by some static scenes and shots that do not serve to further the narrative – including oddly-framed static shots of Bruno and Pablo in bed that seem more influenced by the aesthetic of reality television programmes such as Big Brother than any particular cinematic sensibility. The film’s low budget is also readily apparent in its limited sets and small cast, and it would be interesting to see what Berger could achieve if he was given greater resources.  
The film is uncut and runs for 103:10 mins (PAL).
Video
Shot on digital video, the film is well-presented on this DVD, in its original screen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (with anamorphic enhancement). The film has a low budget aesthetic that gives it a sense of intimacy with its characters. The film provides a drab, deromanticised perspective on its Buenos Aires locations that underscores its cynical attitude towards relationships. 
Audio
Audio is presented via a two-channel surround track (in Spanish), with optional English subtitles.
Extras
The film contains a good range of contextual material, including: - 'Making of “Plan B”' (32:37). This documentary examines the career of Plan B's director and contains interviews with the principal cast and crew, who discuss the film’s production and reception. There are some very insightful comments: Manuel Vignau says that Bruno's quest 'is almost like a challenge that has to do with the immaturity of the character'. Berger tells us that he always intended the film to subvert the conventions of romantic dramas, telling us, 'That's the trick of the movie, at the beginning you might think you're watching a man do the impossible to recover a woman, but that's not really the plot'; Berger sums the film up by stating that 'The movie talks about that, how a guy plays with love and falls into his own trap'. - English Interviews (10:03), apparently shot at the same time as the 'making of' documentary. - 'Un Ultima Voluntad' ('A Last Wish') (9:31), a short film by the director of Plan B about a firing squad. - 'Deleted Scenes' (13:12). Almost all of the scenes involve Bruno and his friend. Most of these are fairly redundant in the context of the film, aside from one in which Bruno outlines 'Plan B' to his friend. - 'Image Gallery' (3:07).
Overall
A clever, subversive and well-observed drama, Plan B benefits from some sharp scripting and good performances. Bruno is an unsympathetic character from the outset, but committed viewers will be rewarded by the ways in which his character develops as the narrative progresses. Arguably a little overlong, Plan B makes effective use of the apparently limited resources available to the cast and crew, and the film is ultimately a rewarding experience that provides plenty of food for thought in terms of its examination of attitudes towards homosexuality, its deconstruction of the macho hubris displayed by Bruno, and its cynical view of relationships in general. References: Corrales, Javier, 2009: ‘Gays in Latin America: Is the Closet Half Empty?’ Foreign Policy (18 February, 2009) [Available Online.] For more information, please visit the homepage of Network DVD.
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