Cleopatra: A Life's Journey (2003)

Road movie . . .

Two women meet in this Argentine film and declare independence of the men in their lives, taking to the road much like Thelma and Louise. The performances by Norma Aleandro and Natalia Oreiro are wonderful. Aleandro plays the title role and portrays well both the terror and the optimism of someone striking out on a new - and as yet undetermined - course. Oreiro plays a young TV star who knows that somehow her life will become emptier as fame and fortune overwhelm her.

For viewers who like a more strongly plotted film, this one tends to meander as soon as it takes to the road. The two women are accompanied by a handsome young man (Hector Alterio) with a pickup truck, but the story doesn't put much at stake to concern us about the outcome for its characters. No big surprise, the TV star and the trucker end up together, but it's something that just eventually happens. Pleasant, with some comic moments, the film is chiefly a showcase for the wonderful talents of Norma Aleandro, whose character can take a phonecall from one of her absent adult children and wring everything heartfelt from it, revealing the loneliness behind her sunny disposition. It's being cheerful that keeps her going, and it saves the movie. September 13, 2008

dvd is still available!

the fox release of this dvd has gone out of print, but "Cleopatra" has been rereleased by venevision, and can be purchased from amazon here: Cleopatra! enjoy, it's a beautiful story and an inexpensive dvd! January 15, 2008

Cleopatra- lived up to its name

This is the kind of movie that should be made available more to different countries. Its funny, insightful and careful not to be presumptious. It portrays friendship and life's second chances beautifully. Wish I could find more like this movie around the world!

Una pelicula que hace pensar y no presume ser mas de lo que es- una buena historia de amistad y oportunidades en la vida. Me gustaria encontrar mas peliculas come esta en el mercado mundial. October 21, 2005

"I know I have to live up to my name"

"Cleopatra" is a movie about two women at a crossroad in their lives who find themselves by running away from their daily lives, in a travel through some small Argentinian villages. One of them is an old retired teacher, Cleopatra (Norma Aleandro), and the other is a famous soap opera star, Sandra (Natalia Oreiro), whose real name is Milagros. The two meet by chance, like each other instantly, and slowly become great friends...

Cleopatra is an optimist. She says that "I know I have to live up to my name and I could be disappointed, but I'm not. I still hope to be able to do wonderful things. And learn more than I do now". Despite that, things aren't going well for her. Her daughter and her son live far away, and she misses them. She loves her husband Roberto (Héctor Alterio), but not so much as she used to, because he drinks a lot and is depressed due to lack of job. Cleopatra always wanted to be an actress because she enjoyed the idea of being somebody else, but wasn't able to do so due to the opposition of her boyfriend, who would later become her husband. All the same, she settled for being a teacher, something that Cleopatra says is more or less similar because in both professions you talk, and other people listen to you :)

Cleopatra has an opportunity of getting a role in a soap opera, but makes a mess of it. However, that is the place where she meets Sandra, the star in that soap opera. Sandra is a young and very kind woman who isn't sure whether she really wants to be a star. She has problems with her boyfriend, Francis, who is also her producer. Sandra tells Cleopatra that she isn't a person anymore, that she feels like a trademark managed by Francis, merely his possession.

Sandra decides that she wants to change things, and somehow ends up travelling through Argentina with Cleopatra. They meet Carlos (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a young man who raises horses for a living, and together they continue their adventures. Not many things happen in their two-day journey, but I bet you will enjoy their interactions and reflections on life and other matters, the wonderful scenery, and the great music that accompanies some of the best moments in the film. My favorite song, though, was "Y tan contenta", by Paco Ortega, a wonderful song that goes quite well with the general mood of the movie...

On the whole, I can say that I was surprised by how good this movie was. Yes, I know Norma Aleandro and Leonardo Sbaraglia are well known, but who could have imagined that Natalia Oreiro can act, and act so well?. Not me, that is for certain. If it hadn't been for a friend who strongly recommended "Cleopatra" to me, I wouldn't have seen it. Don't make the same mistake: watch it now, it is worth it!.

Belen Alcat
March 22, 2005

"I would have liked you to be my mom"

This is an outstanding Spanish-Argentinean production, which shines mainly because of the excellent cast of actors and actresses that come together in the film. Cleopatra (Norma Aleandro) is a woman for whom facing adversity is not new. She is already a grandmother of two and has been married for thirty-seven years with Roberto (Hector Alterio). Two years ago Cleopatra retired from her job as a teacher and soon after that her husband was fired, forcing her to try to make a living in any way she could. At the moment in which the movie starts, she is selling cosmetics door to door.

Sandra (Natalia Oreiro) is a young soap opera actress. Her boyfriend / agent is trying to get her some contracts in American productions and is not willing to stop in his quest, no matter what Sandra has to do to get there. So on one side, we have Sandra that is getting tired of this guy and his ambitions and who does not want fame but desires to be loved instead, and on the other side we have an older lady who has had enough with the long string of unsuccessful attempts through which she has gone through. They meet when Cleopatra goes for a casting in the same soap in which Sandra works.

Cleopatra's attempt is a complete failure, but the terrible effort leads to a friendship that starts almost immediately and grows quickly after that, with both women deciding to leave everything and embark on a trip alla Thelma and Louise. After a rocky start involving a car crash, they are picked up by Carlos (Leonardo Sbaraglia) when they resort to their last alternative, hitchhiking a ride. He is a farmer who joins the ladies in their wonderful journey of friendship and self-discovery.

The story is very good, showing a high level of human emotion and presenting us with the characters' search for their own paths. But, as I mentioned before, the highest point of this movie is the astounding cast. The great couple of Norma Aleandro and Hector Alterio, who worked together before in the Oscar winning film "The Official Story" (Best Foreign Film), provides lovers of Argentinean cinema with a memorable flashback. But we also get to see Leonardo Sbaraglia, who is in my opinion by far the best actor of his generation. It is a bit sad that the role he has to play does not allow him to show the full magnitude of his abilities. That leaves us with Natalia Oreiro, the Uruguayan girl, who plays a part that is similar to what she is in real life, a soap opera actress. Oreiro is clearly not the most talented performer you can find in Latin American movies, but she has evolved a great deal since I last saw her a few years ago in different roles across various Argentinean soap operas. There is not much else to say, except...get this movie now!
January 15, 2005

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