A Useful Life

Inspired partly by Veiroj's experiences working at the Montevideo and Madrid cinematheques, this lovely deadpan comedy-drama centres on a gentle, middle-aged movie buff (former critic Jorge Jellinek) who has for years been performing almost every task imaginable at the Cinemateca Uruguaya - an ailing institution (on screen, if not in reality) where notions of audience development are as antiquated as the technology. As the threat of closure looms, the cinephile has to rethink his ways... Beautifully shot in black and white, this wry, affectionate and subtle study of the cinema's relationship to life exudes charm from start to finish.