Blondi (film)

Blondi is a 2023 comedy-drama film directed, co-written, produced, and starred by Dolores Fonzi in her directorial debut feature.

Plot

The plot follows the sibling-like relationship of single mother Rita with her 20-year-old son Mirko, as well with Blondi's other relatives Pepa (mother), Martina (elder sister), and Eduardo (brother-in-law).

Cast

Production

Blondi was written by Dolores Fonzi and Laura Paredes. An Argentine-Spanish-American co-production by La Unión de los Ríos, Setembro Cine and Gran Via Productions, it had the collaboration of Amazon Studios.

Release

Blondi had its world premiere on 22 April 2023 at Cine Gaumont during the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI). Distributed by Digicine, it was released theatrically in Argentina on 1 June 2023. The film was also presented in the 'Latin Horizons' section of the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival on 24 September 2023. Distributed by Karma Films, it is set to be released theatrically in Spain on 3 July 2024.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.

Ezequiel Boetti of Página|12 rated Blondi with 8 points, deeming it to be a film with "a minimal anecdote" but carrying "an emotional weight uncommon for Argentine cinema".

Alfonso Rivera of Cineuropa wrote that the film "[is] brimming with life, [is full with] with hilarious dialogues and [features] a dedicated and marvelously harmonized cast".

Belén Vázquez Prieto of La Nación gave the film a 'very good' rating, writing that it displays "a genuine enthusiasm for storytelling and at the same time avoids the easy path of turning his characters into mere expressions of their ideas".

Nuria Vidal of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, declaring it "a light, free, funny comedy that tackles very tough subjects" and in which what ends up dominating "is the feeling of optimism".