New Argentinian cinema emerged after the Second World War with films that focused intently on the realities of Argentinian social and rural life, becoming political with the advent of social unrest in the late sixties and early seventies and succumbing temporarily to the seven years of suppression that followed military takeover in 1976. The return to democracy in 1983 saw Argentinian cinema go through a retrospection on war, dictatorship and atrocity and emerge triumphantly as the thriving, independent and world class cinema of today.

Las Acacias is an example of the quality of this contemporary Argentinian cinema, being a carefully and expertly crafted observation on the nature of incipient affection and love. Lead actors German de Silva and Hebe Duarte are absolute naturals for each other and brilliantly cast in this road movie, which cleverly places more store in what its characters don’t say as to what they do.

Ruben (de Silva) has for many years been driving a truck, back and forth, between Asuncion and Buenos Aires, delivering lumber. Today he has agreed to carry a passenger, Jacinta (Duarte), who will arrive in readiness to travel but with an unexpected companion. So will begin the journey; and the relationship that will develop will do so as much through watching, glancing and ‘punctuating by silence’ as it will through direct engagement and exchange, and will be a special pleasure to audiences that delight in the observation of human nature at its most subtle, guarded and delicate.