Homo Argentum

It’s funny how things can turn out in life’s everyday scenarios. And, in this anthology of 16 short films from directors Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duplat, this inspired collection of comic vignettes reveals just how funny those funny situations can be. All of the offerings in this compilation feature performances by actor/comedian Guillermo Francella, who deftly brings distinctly different personas to each of his roles, demonstrating a broad range of characterizations that are wholly appropriate for the various stories of which they’re a part. The nature of the narratives in question also varies widely, featuring characters and storylines that explore an array of aspects of contemporary Argentine life (primarily from a male perspective), including scenarios that are ridiculous, sublime, cynical, clever, satirical, pompous, vain, well-meaning and everything in between. Admittedly, not all results are created equal here, but, except for one overly serious sequence that seems significantly out of place, the remaining 15 pieces all deliver the goods, serving up laughs in different measure, both big and small and always enjoyable. Most are comedy sketch length, although a few are little more than extended punchlines (and that, ironically, are among the best bits in the finished product). In that sense, then, this release plays like much like another Argentinian compilation of this type, the Oscar-nominated foreign language feature, “Wild Tales” (“Relatos salvajes”) (2014), only in smaller bites and with a kinder, gentler edge to its stories. In the interest of full disclosure, I had some genuine reservations about “Homo Sapiens?” when I first viewed its somewhat unimpressive trailer, which, quite frankly, doesn’t do justice to its material, making many of its segments look like bad sketches from The Benny Hill Show (1969-1989). Thankfully, though, that impression was more than adequately dispelled in the final cut. It may not be outrageously raucous, but it’s certainly a lot of fun, and who doesn’t like that?