Whisky, Rebella and Stoll, Uruguay 2004

The silent burden of the owner of a socks factory.

In this wonderful slow movie there are a lot of repetitions, like the opening ritual of the old factory in Montevideo every morning by Jacobo the owner. He says Bon dia to his help, a woman named Marta who makes tea and coffee for him and controls the bags of the other female workers when they leave the factory late in the afternoon.

Jacobo’s mother died one year ago and now the stone is going to be placed on her grave. Brother Herman who lives in Brasil, has not been to the funeral but comes this time.

Jacobo askes Marta to be his wife for a few days when Herman is in his house. He shows her his appartment with oxygen bottles still in a bedroom, from which, even when it is not said, we know that his mother used them. 

Herman has a succesful socks factory in Brasil and shows new colourful socks when he arrives. The brothers don’t communicate very much, there is a lot of silence. It is remarkable that we don’t see the scene at the grave. Herman shows pictures from this daughters, two good looking young ladies and invites Jacobo and Marta to a resort at the coast where their family used to go to when they were children. Jacobo doesn’t like the idea but Marta says yes. He doesn’t like the doublebed in their hotelroom but says nothing and sleeps on the couch. Herman offers him money to renew his factory because Jacobo took care of their mother. Jacobo at first doesn’t want to accept the money but then visites the casino where he wins even more money. In the meanwhile Marta and Herman have a good and probably intimate time together.

When they are back home again Jacobo gives the money to Marta. When he opens the factory the next day she doesn’t show up.

Just as between the brothers, Jacobo and Marta, don't say a lot, but at the same time much is happening between them all. The persons don‘t really seem to play a role but act very naturally. The title has to do with two photographes, one taken of Jacobo and Marta and put in a list to show that they are married, the anotherone of the three of them. In both cases the photographer asks them to say the word whisky to make it look like if as they are very happy.

Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll were both born in 1974 and studied communicational sciences. They also made 25 Watts, a movie inspired by Stranger than paradise by Jim Jarmusch. They won in 2001 a Tiger award and the Moviezone Award on the international film festival Rotterdam IFFR) that at the moment is held for the 40th year. It is a pity that Rebella ended his life in 2006. I would have liked to see more movies from these companions.