Credits: screenplay: Federico Veiroj; director of photography: Arauco Hernández; editor: Arauco Hernández, Federico Veiroj; music: Leo Masliah, Macunaima, Eduardo Fabini; producer: Federico Veiroj; production: CINEKDOQUE;

Country: Uruguay, Spain

Year: 2010

Running time: 67

Colour: Black & White

Format: 35 mm

Like several other recent Uruguayan films, anti-glamour, and anti-Hollywood, A USEFUL LIFE features schlumpy but likable protagonists, a storyline close to his personal life, real locations, and a precise shooting style, relatively long takes frequently set up a bit obliquely—not symmetrical, but not expressionistic either. And no CGI. Veiroj worked for years in the film archive of Montevideo, as does the main character in A USEFUL LIFE. The place is in debt, and ultimately the hovering bills can not be paid. Once the archive closes, the archivist emerges from its safe confines into the real world, tasting life, and love, for the first time. With music and visuals, the director pays homage to several genres during the man’s journey toward self-discovery. Commercial? Suffice it to say, the film is in black and white and runs barely 70 minutes.