On Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Witherspoon Student Cinema, the Global Film Series hosted a screening of the Argentinian dramedy “Un Cuento Chino”, translated for English markets as “Chinese Take-Away”.

The film follows Roberto, portrayed by Ricardo Darín, a disgruntled loner who runs a small tool shop and keeps to himself. His life is suddenly upended by his running into a Chinese man, Jun. Neither of them understand each other, but Roberto feels obliged to help the man find his way to his estranged uncle, leading to a simultaneously hilarious and touching set of misadventures for the pair.

Nilda Cosco, research associate professor and director of programs for the Natural Learning Initiative, also happens to be an immigrant from Argentina. She came to the screening to speak about the film and its context in Argentinian culture. Dr. Cosco commented on the title of the film before the screening started.

“I would translate it as ‘A Chinese Tale,’” Cosco said. “It is an expression in Argentina that people use when somebody is telling something that is very strange … it has nothing to do with Chinese culture. It has to do, I think, with the inability of Argentine people to speak Chinese.”

“Un Cuento Chino” is indeed a strange film, following grounded and realistic characters that are forced to navigate a borderline absurdist string of events. From the opening sequence alone, it is clear that this film has no intention of following a traditional kind of logic in its plot devices. Although it is quite wacky in terms of its story, there is always a very tender emotional core at the heart of the story. When Roberto is annoyed with Jun, you can feel his inner conflict just as strongly as the outer conflict taking place in the scene. This is much to the credit of Darín, whose deadpan delivery and emotive expressions make for a lead performance filled with range and complexity. The film is a relatable portrait of two people with seemingly nothing in common learning to co-exist.

There is an interesting creative choice that is made deliberately throughout the film, which is to remove any subtitles for Chinese dialogue. This creates a similar viewing experience for an American audience to an Argentine viewer and makes for a stronger empathetic connection with the main character of Roberto. This also makes for plenty of hilariously entertaining sequences throughout. 

The emotional climax of “Un Cuento Chino” is brilliantly pulled off, bringing the entire story full circle. It features a sequence of dialogue between Roberto and Jun, through the mediator of a Chinese immigrant delivery man, which stands as a profound cinematic moment that leaves a lasting impact on the audience.

The screening of the film was followed by a quick Q&A about the background of the film with Dr. Cosco.

Marian Fragola, director of program planning and outreach at NC State University Libraries and one of the organizers of the Global Film Series, said that this film was chosen from a list given to her.

“I just thought it was really tender and it was something that college students would like,” Fragola said. “It’s about feeling alone and scared and not having connections which I think is an interesting thing for college because you might feel like you’re alone and in a big place.”

For those who missed the screening but are interested in seeing “Un Cuento Chino,” the film can be found on Amazon Prime Video.