ASTRONAUTS (ASTRONAUTAS) International Feature Competition

In this delightful deadpan comedy, Santi Amodeo’s solo feature debut makes a stylistic show of his skill, communicating with a breezy, generous wit.

Forty-something junkie Daniel (Nancho Novo) goes cold turkey in a hut before heading to the city to start a new life. He meets 16-year-old Laura (Teresa Hurtado) and allows her to stay with him. Daniel is following the simple guidelines for recovery provided by his shrink, called “A Guide for the Exemplary Citizen,” with 10 items of advice, including “a clean house,” “look after the little things,” “socialization,” “watching television,” “personal hygiene” and “sex.” They look easy, but, for Daniel, they are quite challenging. With Laura watching, it is Daniel’s attempts to follow the rules where the acutely human comedy comes, fueled by an exceptionally multi-layered performance from Novo.

The beautiful Velvet Underground-esque soundtrack-made up mostly of songs by Amodeo’s own band, Lavodora-adds to the tone. But, ultimate?, it is Amodeo’s deep empathy for his characters, their moving relationships and wildly funny situations, which makes this such a delectable cinematic experience.