The Tenth Man (2016) User Reviews

Waiting for Usher

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 8 August 2016]

Ariel, an economist, now based in New York, is preparing to go to his hometown, Buenos Aires with Monica, an aspiring ballerina. His father interrupts his preparations for the trip with the request of a pair of Nike sneakers with Velcro ties for a friend who is in hospital and needs those shoes. Needless to say, Ariel only finds regular sneakers, something his father did not want.

Thus begins this story that to this viewer reminds of the "prodigal son" parable. Ariel gets back to the place of his birth, a place he hardly recognizes. Having been brought up as Jewish, his past comes back to confront him in unexpected ways. Being away from the religion of his childhood, Ariel is resentful of of the environment where he has come back to. His father, Usher, is the spirit of a foundation that helps the poor Jewish inhabitants of the Buenos Aires' neighborhood called "Once". Usher is everywhere, but his interaction with Ariel and the people of his community is always done on the phone. We never see this man, although his presence looms large throughout the story.

We get to know the reason for Ariel's resentment against his parents. Usher, being so involved in the community, neglects to attend an important date with Ariel. An absent mother also contributes to Ariel's unhappiness. To make matters worse, Usher keeps pressing his son to get involved in things he cannot attend himself. Slowly, but surely, Ariel comes to understand the role of his father and the way a lot of people depend on the kindness of Usher. Ariel's involvement takes him back to his Jewish roots and understands his father's mission. Ariel might have been away from his religion, but he rediscovers the importance of his upbringing. Then there is the presence of the mysterious Eva, a helper at the foundation with problems of her own. The attraction between Ariel and Eva plays a lot with the outcome of the story.

Daniel Burman, one of the best directors working in the Argentine cinema, sets this story in the colorful location where life is not easy for most of the poor older Jews eking a living in a city. Mr. Burman knows the people well; his tale of reconnecting with one's faith and acceptance works well as he spins his tale with a light touch that works in unexpected ways. Alan Sabbagh, who plays Ariel is perfect as the man at the center of the story. He gives a performance that is consistent of the type of character he plays. Mr. Sabbagh is the main reason for watching the film. Lovely Julieta Zilberberg is perfectly mysterious as Eva. As far as the main character, we get to see him in the last section of the film. He is a "presence" always heard, but never seen.

A Little Story That Needs to Be a Little Longer

[canniballife-78396 · 7/10 · 21 September 2020]

Ariel is semi-estranged from his abrupt and somewhat eccentric father. His father (Usher) lives in the Jewish section of Buenos Aires, while Ariel - living a more secular life - makes his home in New York City. Ariel has a girlfriend he's serious about and he wants her to meet dad, so the plan is to fly down to Argentina and everybody can meet everybody. Which is not what happens. I loved the fact that nobody in this movie looks like a movie star and Buenos Aires isn't looking all that great, either. I'm not even sure how many people caught on film are actually actors. Real people, in a real place, and a little story about a guy who comes home again and starts to wonder why he left. In the end, a sweet-tempered and amusing story - but a few things need explaining that aren't explained very well. Just a few more minutes to explain Ariel's sudden change in mood.

Unlikeable

[info-12010 · 5/10 · 13 March 2021]

Other reviews describe the gist of the movie, so I won't repeat it. Instead, I offer my take-away.

The reasons I was disappointed with this movie are ...

Not one person in this movie is likeable. Perhaps that was intentional, although I don't know what it accomplishes, because I could never discern the point of the film. The trajectory is unknowable and, as far as I am concerned, pointless.

Other than one woman who chooses to be quiet, deliberate and mute, everyone in the movie is rushed, demanding, and confused.

I couldn't feel any empathy towards anyone or their situation. All the characters were unlikeable, if not annoying. Everything is in chaos, dilapidated, disorganized, etc. I'm sure this was intentional too, but to what end, I cannot fathom.

I've been to Once (the neighborhood where this takes place) and it certainly is chaotic, crowded and full of live. I'm sure there are fascinating stories to be told that would grab my attention, but there was no interesting story here; just a prolonged wait for the moment when it all coalesced. But there was no such moment.

There's a reason why it's so poorly rated

[jaevlamor · 3/10 · 28 April 2020]

Movies are something difficult to get. It's 80 minutes of essentially nothing going on. There's a plot, hidden, between the dialogues. But the plot not only is ever clarified but it rewards no develop'ment to whatever is supposed to be happening. We see this man, reconnecting with the place he grew up on, remembering what it was like to be, how it all works, but not doing anything whatsoever other than going along with time. He connects to a mute, religious woman who really doesn't have a story to tell, until at the end when she just refers to an importat character of the plot as 'godlike'.

While watching it, I didn't really know what I was looking for, or waiting for, other than the so called Usher, and everything ender so fast, so numb.

The Jewish community in Buenos Aires

[hof-4 · 8/10 · 4 April 2017]

The original title is El Rey del Once, literally The King of Eleven. Eleven ("once" in Spanish) is the name of a quarter of Buenos Aires around Plaza Once de Septiembre (Square September Eleven) named after a happening in Argentine history on September 11, 1888. This quarter is home to numerous Jewish families that settled there in the first half of the 20th. century and after. It is not a ghetto in any sense of the word; it looks like any middle class neighborhood in Buenos Aires. The title has been translated to The Tenth Man, not a bad choice since this refers to the need for ten men in some Jewish rituals. This plays a role in the movie.

The protagonist, Ariel, has lived for years abroad and is presently in Buenos Aires. He is estranged from his father Usher, and wishes to reconnect with him. We learn from flashbacks that Usher was an absentee father, although this alone doesn't explain the extreme father/son tension that makes Usher avoid Ariel or prevents him from looking Ariel in the face. Usher is The King of Eleven, a neighborhood wheeler-dealer bent not on personal success but on helping the quarter's less advantaged neighbors (he seems to spend all his time in this endeavor). The name of the actor that impersonates Usher is Usher Barilka, so we may assume the character is real or has real components.

A recurring theme in some of Daniel Burman's movies (Waiting for the Messiah 2000, Lost Embrace 2004, Family Law 2006) is the place of a young man in the Jewish community of Buenos Aires and his conflicted relation with his father. Burman retakes the subject in the present film in a more austere, almost documentary fashion. Ariel, the young man, faces a choice, One of the alternatives is a life with everyday acts determined by precise although illogical rituals (this applies to other religions as well) but providing an identity, a sense of community and an opportunity for caring for each other (although it also implies isolation from society at large). The other choice is that of freedom, with all its attendant dangers and sometimes elusive rewards. There is no clear cut answer to this dilemma and Burman doesn't attempt to provide one. As in real life, we are not given complete information about the characters' interaction: we hear that Ariel's mother took the second choice, but we get to know nothing about her relationship with Usher or with Ariel. The movie lets much for the viewer to imagine. A fascinating film.

Great movie.

[oliverlunnstahl · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

After watching this movie I felt a bit disappointed. But after thinking the whole thing through it just made so much sense.

Ushers master plan to find a successor to his kingdom is getting his son involved and getting him to fall in love with a local jewish woman in distress (two birds with one stone!)

An Atmospheric Film

[carloswilliamhughes · 9/10 · 19 March 2023]

As a reviewer who enjoyed the film what was a cinematic love letter to Brooklyn 'Blue in the Face' which was directed by Wayne Wang and starred Harvey Keitel because for me - the place where the film is set can be the star of the show and I feel this is where we are with 'El Rey Del Once' (The King of Once).

Ariel (the always excellent Alan Sabbagh) has to return from New York to Buenos Aires and is asked by his father to bring some velcro shoes which he was unable to find - this is the first disappointment out of many - this isn't a part of Buenos Aires a lot of tourists get to see - Once, Almargo and Villa Crespo is what is known as the Jewish part of the city and has now passed onto the Chinese and Latin American immigrants from nearby countries but Ariel (Sabbagh) still has plenty of people in his community who rely on him and his father to get things done. Life is complicated for Ariel, finding his feet back home, fighting his feelings for a love interest and reminiscing about the past - sometimes, a really good movie doesn't have to have a clear linear plot and this doesn't really but it is about a part of Buenos Aires that doesn't get that much exposure but in this film, it does a good job of showing us how it is for some of the people who have lived there for generations.

It's not for everyone and if you're one for car chases and people getting shot then give it a miss but if you like subtle character driven films then give it a go.

Why doesn't Usher appear?

[Red-125 · 9/10 · 26 January 2020]

The Argentinian film El Rey del Once (2016) was shown in the U.S. with the title The Tenth Man. (The U.S. title makes sense in the context of the movie, but the Spanish title is The King of Eleven.) The movie was written and directed by Daniel Burman.

The film stars Alan Sabbagh as Ariel, who was born in Buenos Aires, but is now a successful businessman in New York City.

Ariel is estranged from he father, Usher, because Usher is an orthodox Jew, and Ariel is not. Ariel travels to Buenos Aires to try to come to a rapprochement with Usher.

However, Usher never appears. He runs a charity organization--I think mostly for Jews--and he's always somewhere else when Ariel visits the charity.

The charity organization is more or less a success, but it is horribly disorganized. Usher apparently holds this chaotic situation together, but barely.

Instead of Usher, Ariel meets the beautiful, enigmatic Eva (Julieta Zylberberg). She's an orthodox Jew, so she's not allowed to touch him. However, she's also silent. She can speak, but she chooses not to.

The plot progresses with the growing relationship between Ariel and and Eva, and the growing absence of Usher. There are funny and tender moments, as Ariel meets old friends, and starts to make sense out of what's happening at the charity.

I enjoyed this movie, and I recommend it. It has a horrible IMDb rating of 5.7. It's much better than that. The low rating for this good movie reminds me that sometimes you need to listen to a friend who recommends a film. The IMDb rating is important, but it's not essential when choosing a movie.

study of a guy who returns to his childhood city.

[ksf-2 · 8/10 · 30 March 2020]

Ariel (Alan Sabbagh) lives in the US, but returns home to Buenos Aires to visit with his father, Usher. Running errands, and trying to please others, at first he finds it annoying and does the best he can. Ignoring details, he accomplishes tasks to his own liking, and finds the Jewish religious details annoying. To show how out of place he is back in his childhood city, he has his phone and suitcase stolen when he's not paying attention. As he goes along, people depend on him more and more to get things done, and he starts to enjoy getting things done in the proper manner. he calms the people down when there are no supplies to sell, and learns the intricate details of the Jewish ceremonies. mostly a serious drama, there are a couple funny moments. This is interesting to watch... currently showing on netflix, the U.S. title is the Tenth Man, but it's really called El Rey Del Once (which translates to The King of Eleven...kind of a left-over, extra guy) This title makes more sense when the local jewish group explains how necessary it is to have a group of ten men, when a community makes decisions.

Good...

[RosanaBotafogo · 8/10 · 12 February 2023]

A man (Alan Sabbagh) spends time with a woman (Julieta Zylberberg) who works for her father's charitable foundation in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ariel, son estranged from his father and famous in his neighborhood, opens a charitable foundation. Returning to Once, the Jewish neighborhood of his childhood, he encounters the tradition that gave rise to estrangement.

It is very pleasant to watch a film that takes place in Buenos Aires days after going to that city, to get to know it quickly, for a few hours, the theme is interesting, segmented family relationships, religion and tradition, however the somewhat slow pace makes it difficult the maintenance of interest, a dramatic comedy that is not very comic, but very realistic... We are waiting for grandiose events, which do not happen, and some incomprehensible situations, due to cultural diversity...