novella "The Separator" from the almanac "Stories of Borges" Novella “The Separator” from the almanac “Stories of Borges”:
Perhaps one of the best novels from the Borges story series. Unlike most stories, this time the audience was offered a story set out in cinematic language, and not a clip in which the voiceover prevailed.
South. Two brothers. Macho. Criminal stories, but in accordance with the law. Card game. Brothels. Transportation of goods. This is their free and well-coordinated life. But one day a woman gets involved. Everything is going in the wrong direction.
I have to give credit to the directors. From Borges' short story, they presented us with something epic. The relationship between two brothers and one woman has been stretched over time. It should be borne in mind that Borges did not add details: “No one knew how their lives were going in this shameful union.” But Jaime Chavarri these details showed the balance between vulgarity and frankness. Every time it seemed that the action was reduced to already understandable and well-known patterns, the plot quickly dived in an unexpected direction, everything turned around, supporting the intrigue. Also, the director perfectly showed what Borges called “Cain wandered around somewhere”.
By the way, the name of the main character was changed - instead of Julianne, she became Gracia. . .
Thus, the usual story of Borges was actually correlated with Prosper Merime’s Carmen. Only Borges's story is so bizarre that it seems more plausible. Two brutal men don't seem as naive as Merime Jose's hero. Just look into the eyes of Joaquin Inojos – it immediately becomes clear that this brutal man will not try fate.
Well, the real gem of this picture was the game of Amparo Munoz. This actress is known for becoming Miss Universe in 1974 (the only one from Spain even at the moment) and moving to the movies. Munoz not only used her charm and beauty. She was able to convey on the screen exactly what Borges wrote: “The woman served both with animal submission, but could not hide that she preferred” one of the brothers.
Among the director’s finds and the appearance of a dog, which added colors to the picture. And the final scene with olives was incredibly expressive.
7 out of 10