Directed by Arianna Ortiz and written by Paula Pizzi and Stephanie Alison Walker, an unexpected guest upends the lives of an Argentine mother and daughter over the course of an intimate birthday dinner one icy Chicago night. Starring: Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, Paula Pizzi, Ignacio Serricchio, Nate Santana, Margarita Lamas, Adelina Feldman-Schultz and Marcelo Tubert.
At the very beginning of The Birthday Gift, Arianna Ortiz sets the tone for what’s to come. It’s tense and ominous, there’s something lingering in the air, building the anticipation as we wait to discover what that is. The way Ortiz shoots those opening scenes, particularly those with Ignacio Serricchio and Margarita Lamas are atmospheric and the cinematography (from Christopher Rejano) has a great sharpness. That tension is an element which nicely evolves throughout the film, adding depth and emotional layers.
Those aspects of The Birthday Gift are compelling and intriguing; however they’re then sharply contrasted with the introduction of Paula Pizzi’s Soledad. She’s such an extroverted character that it makes the tone vastly at odds with itself. It veers jarringly into comedy territory and loses the subtlety which otherwise it creates very well. You can see the intention behind that choice, and it makes sense on paper but in reality, it sadly hinders the otherwise organic flow of the film.
Outside of that, it’s a well written story touching upon a very real and poignant issue. It handles the topic with sensitivity, it would have been easy to try and make this into a scandalous, shocking tale but Ortiz, Pizzi and Stephanie Alison Walker do really well to let the story unravel naturally. A big part of that is the performance from Ignacio Serricchio, he has such a warm presence, and he delivers the key monologue of The Birthday Gift with sincerity, grace and the perfect dose of emotion.
The rest of the performances are equally good, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel as Gabriela is very relatable and sympathetic. She delivers the evolution to her character with elegance, it’s understated but emotional. It’s matched perfectly by Margarita Lamas who only has to say very little to communicate the complex emotions of her character. Whereas Pizzi and Nate Santana bring a more classic bubbly family feel.
The Birthday Gift is a thoughtfully crafted exploration of a dark period in Argentina’s history. It’s emotionally charged yet handled in a grounded, everyday manner. The filmmakers made a lot of clever choices to not overly dramatize this story, which was definitely a key contribution to its success. There’s a great cast at work and Ignacio Serricchio is a particular highlight with his key scenes packing a moving punch.
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