Accidents can change people as this beautifully crafted film from Argentina written and directed by Sebastián Borensztein proves. It is a lovely mixture of fantasy (the fantasy is actually based on a true story) and the reality of how immigrants to any country adjust and the need for the kindness of strangers.

The film opens in a beautiful scene in Fucheng, China where a young couple about to marry are on a picturesque little boat in the middle of a river, celebrating their future. Suddenly a cow drops out of the sky, smashes the boat, kills the girl and the young man Jun (Ignacio Huang) survives.

Jump immediately to Buenos Aires where we meet the bitter and methodic Roberto as a lonely owner of a hardware store. Roberto (Ricardo Darín) collects strangely bizarre worldwide happenings he finds in the many newspapers to which he subscribes and pastes them in an album as a hobby. The man who delivers the stack of newspapers has a sister-in-law Mari (Muriel Santa Ana) who has an unrequited love for Roberto, but Roberto is always evasive. One day, while watching the landing of airplanes at the airport, Roberto sees a Chinese lad named Jun being thrown out of a taxi: he helps the man to stand up. Jun does not speak Spanish and shows a tattoo with an address on his arm. Roberto heads to the address of the tattoo with Jun and discover that the place belonged to Jun's uncle that sold it three and half years ago. Roberto goes with Jun to the police station (where Roberto slugs the desk policeman for insisting that Jun spend the night in jail),to the China's embassy and to a Chinese neighborhood to seek out his uncle but it is a fruitless search. Roberto sees the only option is to allow Jun in his house ('for a certain number of days only!') and after a series of incidents, he finds a Chinese take-out delivery boy to translate for Jun.

Roberto explains to Jun through the translator that life is absurd, does not have any sense, and shares his hobby of the news he had collected including one about some men stealing cows in China with a plane and how a group of peasants follows and shoots the plane in flight, the plane's back door is opened, and two cows are dropped, one of them killing a girlfriend in a boat, who happens to be Jun's, as the translator then explains to Roberto. Roberto then shares his childhood reasons for his current world view and they are dramatic. A series of incidents occurs in which Jun is able to payback the kindness of Roberto, but the major impact is the relationship that forms between Roberto and Jun, a relationship without language communication but with so much more. The small accidental ironies include the Latin American belief that what falls from the sky is usually a sign of good luck, and the final 'gift' Jun leaves Roberto is a drawing of a cow's head on the back of Roberto's store - the space Jun ad cleaned for his room and board.

This is a delicate and very tender story and succeeds because of the sterling performances by Ricardo Darín, Ignacio Huang, and Muriel Santa Ana. Perhaps it doesn't 'take a village' to make changes, but the reciprocity of two disparate people thrown together by fate certainly does.

Grady Harp

This is a slightly entertaining flick with amusing as well as embarrassing situations , emotions and thoughtful deeds , too . This is a charming drama proceeded in slow-moving with plenty of sentimentalism , sensibility and a few surprises . In Buenos Aires, Argentina, lives Roberto (Ricardo Darin) who is a loner and relunctant to engagement with his lover Mari (Muriel Santa Ana) . Roberto has dark secrets on his past and he is the owner of a DIY store. One day, Roberto meets a missing Chinese named Jun (Ignacio Huang ) being thrown out of a taxi . Jun does not speak Spanish language and both of them are lost in translation . Jun shows a tattoo with an address on his arm . Roberto and Jun head to the location and find out that the place belonged to Jun's uncle , but then things go wrong .

Austerily wonderful film based on actual events , that contains drama , mystery about the strange personality of a Chinese man , and haunting poetic fantasy . This is an enjoyable as well as strange flick , here filmmaker/writer Borenzstein established again his uniquely poetic and visually striking style . Besides,there are brooding , provoking and interesting issues running throughout the engaging story . Nice interpretations all around . It stands out Ricardo Darin as a lonely as well as methodic man who collects rare worldwide news and holding ancient prejudices and pains , that's why he is a solitary man . Darin is an excellent leading figure of the most important Argentinian movies , such as : "El Faro" (1998),"El Mismo Amor La Misma Lluvia" (1999),"Nueve Reinas" (2000),"La Fuga" (2001) and especially known for ¨The secret in your eyes¨ and ¨El Hijo De La Novia¨ . His acquaintance is Mari , well played by Muriel Santa Ana , who has an unrequited and evasive love for him . And the mysterious Chinese with surpring and fantastic past was well performed by Ignacio Huang .

Furthermore ,an atmospheric and appropriate musical score by the notorious musician Lucio Gody , a prolific composer who has composed excellent soundtracks such as ¨Blackthorn¨, ¨All about my mother¨ , ¨Fin¨ , ¨Lunes Al Sol¨, ¨Amador¨, ¨Aura¨ and deemed to be one of the best Argentine/Spanish musicians . Competently produced by Gerardo Herrero . Gerardo is a famous producer as well as filmmaker . He was President of the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1994-1994) . Great producer of big hits , being especially known for The Secret of your ears (2009),Sin Retorno (2010) , Balada Triste de Trompeta (2010) , Crimenes De Oxford (2008) and El Hijo De La Novia (2001). He also directed some good films such as ¨Silencio En Nieve¨ , ¨Corredor Nocturno¨ , ¨Principio Arquímedes¨ , ¨Crimen Galindez¨ , ¨Frontera Sur¨, ¨Territorio Comanche¨ , ¨Desvio a Paraíso¨ , ¨Al Acecho¨ and ¨Heroína¨ .

The motion picture was well directed by Sebastián Borensztein . He is a nice craftsman who has made nice films as Capitan Koblic , Sin memoria , La suerte está echada and various TV series . The picture won several Awards in Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina 2011 such as : Winner Award of the Argentinean Academy Best Film Sebastián Borensztein ; Best Actor Ricardo Darín ; Best Supporting Actres Muriel Santa Ana ; Best Supporting Actor Ignacio Huang .; Best Screenplay, Original Sebastián Borensztein ; Best Cinematography Rodrigo Pulpeiro. Furthermore, it won Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards 2012 : Silver Condor Best Screenplay, Original , Best Director : Sebastián Borensztein and Best Actor : Ricardo Darín . And Goya Awards 2012 Winner Goya Best Iberoamerican Film (Mejor Película Iberoamericana) Sebastián Borensztein

Jun, a Chinese man, is seen with his would be wife on a boat. The setting serves as a romantic place in which he will propose marriage to her. Unfortunately, fate intervenes in the way of a cow falling from the sky, killing the woman and ending his aspirations.

The scene changes to a contemporary hardware store in Buenos Aires where Roberto, the owner, is counting screws. Instead of the number specified in the box, Roberto has been gypped, something, he notices, that occurs all the time. He curses the company that cannot even count right. He is a man of few words who does not take kindly to idiots that come into his shop. One thing Roberto loves is to cut articles from newspapers with bizarre stories. The best are pasted on an album he keeps.

One day, a Chinese man arrives at the store. It is Jun, the Chinese man we saw first. He has come looking for a relative, whose address he was given, is the one where the De Cesare's Hardware is located. Roberto does not understand a thing Jun is trying to tell him, and vice-versa. Since Jun has no place to go, and not acquainted with the city, he stays close to Roberto's shop. Roberto takes pity on the poor Jun by taking him to the embassy, where they promise to contact Jun's relatives. Roberto has a friend, Mari, who sees in the foreigner a man to be pitied having come from so far away to an uncertain future. Mari is also interested in Roberto in a more romantic way, although he seems oblivious to the way she looks at him.

Through his newspaper clippings, we get to know a little bit of Roberto's life and his involvement in the Falklands war. There is an article that shows a young Roberto and the tragedy the country suffered plus the humiliation afterward, something that can explain his strange behavior. Trying to get Jun occupied, Roberto asks Jun to paint his patio. Roberto is in for a big surprise after Jun leaves, having found his distant uncle, by what Jun decided to paint on his wall!

An interesting film from Argentina, written and directed by Sebastian Borensztein, the son of well known and witty comedian Tato Bores. The film works in unexpected ways because it is a comedy with an important message sandwiched in between. The title refers to the kind of stories that are so far fetched, they are not true. Roberto lives through exactly that, stories that are so incredible, that he puts himself in them, trying to make sense to escape his lonely existence.

One could not imagine what the film might have been without the great Ricardo Darin playing Roberto. The actor is without a doubt one of the best actors working today. The intelligence of Mr. Darin permeates everything he does; he is no one other than Roberto, the strange shop owner facing a dilemma about what to do with his life. Ignacio Huang plays Jun and Muriel Santa Ana is Mari.