Details are sketchy about the Uruguayan writer/director Juan Pablo Rebella's suicide last Wendesday morning in his apartment in Montevideo. Mr. Rebella was only 32 years old. His body was found by his girlfriend, and by Pablo Stoll, his collaborator on their award-winning films 25 Watts and Whisky.

WHISKY (Uruguay, 2004)

Jacobo Moller has no reason to smile. He's spent his life taking care of his elderly mother and managing his run-down sock factory in Montevideo. The sullen bachelor leads an existence dictated by dreary routine. His brother Herman moved to Brazil many years ago, has a wife and family, and has prospered. Herman didn't bother to return when their mother died a year ago, but now he wants to visit. At the factory, Jacobo depends on the loyal and trustworthy Marta, the only person with whom Jacobo seems to have any contact. Desperate to prove to Herman his life has added up to something, Jacobo meekly asks Marta to pose as his wife during Herman's visit. Marta agrees and visits the beauty salon, not that Jacobo would notice. They go have a picture taken, and finally we see Jacobo smile momentarily when asked by the photographer to say "whisky". The jovial Herman arrives and a game of deception begins. The experience seems to rejuvenate the lonely Marta, particularly when Jacobo reluctantly agrees to go on a short vacation to a famous resort. Unresolved issues between the brothers resurface but Marta is the one likely to undergo a more permanent transformation.

Whisky is the second film from Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, who again share writing and directing duties. Their debut, 25 Watts was awarded at the Rotterdam Film Festival and was compared to Fassbinder's Katzelmacher and Linklater's Slacker. Whisky is a richer, more assured film, presented at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section and winner of two awards at that most prestigious festival. The rather inexperienced acting trio, Andres Pazos, Jorge Bolani and Mirella Pascual, do a superb job of providing a wealth of character detail with a minimum of means. Whisky stays with you long after you've left the theatre. It's a strong candidate for the Jury Prize for Best Ibero-American Dramatic Feature at the fest.

(Review originally posted as part of the 2005 Miami International Film Festival).