Bariloche is a mecca in Patagonia, Argentina, for those who want to ski. But the gaze of the film is interested in contrasting tourists and Argentines, happy for the chance to take advantage of the white slopes, and the indigenous population that works so that others can enjoy the winter sport. There is an implicit exclusion and the film inhabits this dichotomy.
A documentary about ski. A horror film about local monsters from the lake and the snow (or John Carpenter’s The Thing remade as an experimental film). A look at the people who come to the Cerro Catedral ski resort. A DIY video on the making of ski boards and other carpentry. A photoshoot of hairy asses in the snow. A film about the coming of ski to the Argentinian town of Bariloche. Slow-motion, colours, movement and Eurosport videos on acids. All of this fits into the gliding imagination of Manque La Banca (T.R.A.P., IndieLisboa 2018) and in the brilliantly heterogeneous structure of Esqui, his first feature film. A work of an impressive hipster impressionism. Or, simply put, a refreshing way of taking politics into one’s own hands. (Carlos Natálio)
