El Profe
From the Archives
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03-May-2016
An awkward young man gets a Spanish lesson in the home of a tutor but learns more about the teacher than the language. It's film about communication, connection, and small talk morphing into big talk. It’s funny, warm and efficient. After the Spanish lesson is over, idle chit-chat turns personal very quickly. The tutor dumps a load of information onto his student. Even though he’s speaking English, it takes a second to register his leaps into private life which unfolds into a surprise breakthrough. The performances play against each other wonderfully — the overly polite student (played by Erik Martin) listening carefully as the effusive tutor (Joaquin Rodriguez) spills his life story. Contained entirely within a living room, the 6 minute short uses rich production design, stylish camera work, and a momentary flashback to expand the world from the mundane to the transcendent. Writer and director Gus Gavino is sure in the conceit, and nails the execution. Loosely based on a scene in ‘White Noise’ by Don Delillo.
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