Almost a year has passed since Leo Messi's albiceleste won the World Cup in Qatar, a sporting victory that made that immense country in the American South Cone explode with joy. Now, when that euphoria recedes and only the most memorable memories remain, Argentina is once again experiencing a discouraging political scenario.
For Argentines, Argentina is the best country in the world and... the worst. How can you explain that a place that inspires so much self-esteem is at the same time a social and political puzzle with missing or extra pieces, and of which it is known that it will never fit together.
An endless avalanche of Argentine cinema explains what they think of themselves. Sometimes in the key of comedy and others in drama, the message is that they are as in love with their things as they are relentless with themselves. And this is a difficult feeling to understand from Barcelona, a city that loves Argentina and where, according to the 2023 census, 41,097 Argentine nationals, Spanish nationals and other nationalities live there.
A television series, Nada, is the latest Argentine gem. It is an Apple TV work, which combines comedy with drama, directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat. In addition to exceptional cinematography and an intelligent script, there is the magnificent performance of the protagonist, Luis Brandoni. And, if that wasn't enough, Nada has Robert De Niro as the narrator.
A very famous gastronomic critic in Buenos Aires, Manuel Tamayo Prats, played by Brandoni, takes us into the life of Buenos Aires, and a friend of his, the New York novelist Vincent Parisi (De Niro), attests to the extraordinary qualities of Buenos Aires and its people. Social networks are exploiting the idea that De Niro develops in Nada: “New York is not the only city that never sleeps. There is also Buenos Aires”.
Watch the series and we'll see what happens next day 19 in the election balloting. Analysts predict that whatever happens, it won't be entirely positive. With this perspective and the added idea that Argentina is part of the non-aligned (Brics) it will be necessary to think that the bad feelings of the Argentines are overcoming the good ones. And this is terrible news for them and everyone who loves them.
