Cortado Review: A Triumph of Performance, Direction and Entertainment

REVIEW: by Peter Nichols | 4 of 5 Stars

Logline
A young, cross-cultural couple already on shaky ground is tested when an interaction at a local restaurant causes even more tension between the pair.

Introduction
The credibility of Cortado emanates from its simplicity. A result of thorough work, depth, experience, and collaboration from its filmmakers. Juan Teisaire, Hannah Abdoh, and Andrew Kischerbaum have made an engaging non-fiction film. A riveting clash of nuances, biases, misused chances, wrong inferences, microaggressions, honesty and unsaid stuff; the making of a shaky cross-cultural relationship. The hard effort has earned the filmmakers big awards at the Lee Strasberg Film Festival. They took home Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Direction, and Best of Festival.

Review
Cortado is a short film structured into only three scenes: the coffee shop, the street, and the apartment. Yet, you get the thrill of a powerful and engaging performance from the actors. Franco, and Rachel are a cross-cultural young couple living in New York. The direction drops an shaky relationship into an hot discussion, giving the audience a huge dramatic shift toward mounting tensions, then finding a way to keep you watching, and finally landing your expectation on a sure footing. It’s quite a watch.

Cortado rises above the amateurish-que results of independent filmmaking, into a liberating excitement of a romance, ready to fail, but only almost.

Franco is Argentinian, Rachel is American and they aren’t a new couple. The direction in the scene at the café attempts to show they care for each other. Yet the cheeky small talk exposes the state of their relationship: it is shaky. Then boom! Franco, in a bid to make a choice for food, hits up a better conversation with Ana (the waitress) in Spanish. The glee in Rachel’s face turns into jealousy, then rejection-the actress does this quite skillfully. Franco’s talk with Ana, and not Rachel was his best time at the café. We, and Anna herself are left to ask “why?”, is it because of the lack of a language barrier? Or is there something she’s not aware of going on?

The story premise extends into a street walk to their apartment. Rachel draws away from Franco walking ahead him a few feet. He notices and responds by taking the crosswalk without waiting for Rachel. But she darts across and catches up to him, quickly correcting him, but excuses himself. The nuances build up dramatic tension from there until the apartment. There is little dialogue, but the directorial choices detail the shift of mood.

The apartment housed the story climax – I think we lost the roof in the process. Underneath their fragile relationship, the two understand the need for space, self expression and respect. Rachel opens up about what offended her, and Franco same. A true emotional climax hit where Franco, to prove a point starts speaking Spanish.

Juan Teisaire (Franco) reminded me of Antonio Banderas in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and The Mask of Zorro. His nuances, energy, movements, combine seamlessly along with the heightened dialoguesque-emotional and explosive Spanish monologue.

Hannah Abdoh (Rachel) took me to my special place, I only rarely experience except with Kate Winslet. Such as in Titanic, and The Holiday. She became beautiful beyond measure. Her intensity, pain, conflict and confusion all exploded inside her eyes-thanks to simple, minimalistic but effective cinematography. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Such an unmatched and breathtaking performance from two actors. They proved a riveted relationship with the script and trust in the direction of Andrew Kischerbaum.

Conclusion
Cortado is a beautiful and engaging short film drama piece. I saw it 10+ times. I still want to have another go. Good direction, great performance and huge entertainment value make Cortado.

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Writer & Directed: Andrew Kischerbaum and Juan Teisaire

Cast
Juan Teisaire as Franco
Hannah Abdoh as Rachel
Natalie Yale as Ana
Tati Colombo as Santiago
Gabriela Bulka as Becky
Julia Wosiak as Julieta

Produced: Gabriela Bulka
Cinematography: Andrew Kirschenbaum

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