The Dark Side of the Heart () is a 1992 Argentine romantic drama film written and directed by Eliseo Subiela. The film was selected as the Argentine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is currently considered a cult film.The return of ‘The dark side of the heart', by Jordi Costa: "A film that perfectly fits the concept of cult cinema is back in theaters: nobody gave a penny for it (at the time of its release), not even its director", El País (in Spanish). 7 September 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
Plot Oliverio, a Bohemian poet, travels through Buenos Aires with his friends, harassed by Death, looking for a woman capable of “flying”. In the course of the film, the poetry of Mario Benedetti, Juan Gelman and Oliverio Girondo is seen intermingled with the thickest places of Argentine and Uruguayan artistic daily life. From the barbecue, to the battered bars of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the main character's thought is intermittently intertwined with fiction, only to be able to better show the central character's thinking.
The story unfolds in the comings and goings of Oliverio, through his world, in which, exchanging food for poetry, or asking for coins on street corners, seeing Mario Benedetti reciting his poems in German, seeing Genetic sculptures, talking to cows, and conversing with death seem to be part of any given day in the life of a poet.
Cast Darío Grandinetti as Oliverio as Ana Nacha Guevara as Death André Melançon as Erik Jean Pierre Reguerraz as Gustavo Mónica Galán as the ex-wife Inés Vernengo as the blind girl
Awards Montreal World Film Festival
Grand Prix des Amériques
Biarritz Film Festival Best Actor Best Actress
Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival Critic Award
Havana Film Festival Best Actor
Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences Awards Best Director Best Cinematography Best Art Direction Best Editing
43rd Berlin International Film Festival Jury Award of the Readers of the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, International Forum of Young Cinema
Cartagena Film Festival Best Director Best Cinematography Critics Jury Award
Cinoche International Film Festival of Baie-Comeau Best Screenplay
Festival du film de Sept-Îles Best Film
Silver Condor, Argentine Film Critics Association Best Director Best Cinematography Best Art Direction Best Female Revelation
Bergamo Film Meeting "Rosa Camuna" Award for Best Film
Sin Cortes Awards Best film Best Screenplay Best Art Direction Best Original Music Score Best Female Revelation
Argentores Awards Best Film Book
Festival de Gramado Best Director Best Actor Best Original Music Score
Sequel A sequel titled The Dark Side of the Heart 2 was released on July 5, 2001. A Spanish-Argentine co-production, it was again written and directed by Eliseo Subiela, with Darío Grandinetti and reprising their roles from the original film. The supporting cast includes Ariadna Gil, Manuel Bandera, Carolina Peleritti and Nacha Guevara.
See also List of submissions to the 65th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film List of Argentine submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film A Place in the World
References
External links
The Dark Side of the Heart at Cine Nacional