Chinese Take-Away


Chinese Take-Away is a 2011 Argentine comedy film written and directed by Sebastián Borensztein. The film was the highest grossing non-US film in Argentina in 2011.

Plot

Roberto is a veteran who is characterised by orderliness and a firm belief in the value of control. He runs his own hardware store accordingly. If a supplier sells him boxes with 100 screws each, he counts all the screws and files a complaint if just a single one is missing. He feels that the world around his isle of neatness has gone mad. In order to prove his point, he collects newspaper articles about grotesque mishaps originally triggered by a lack of diligence. From time to time he is visited by Mari, a woman who loves him and would like to live with him.
While Roberto believes he has his life under control and is safe from surprises, he is confronted by an appalling incident. A Chinese man, Jun, is thrown out of a moving car in front of Roberto's eyes. Roberto helps him and tries to put things right again, as it is his nature. This is particularly difficult because neither one speaks the other one's language and Roberto is absolutely not in the habit of asking anybody for help. However, they find a delivery guy who works at a Chinese restaurant who enables them to converse.
Jun discloses to Roberto he came to Argentina to find his uncle. Roberto explains to Jun that he has become such a grumpy man because his world view has been shattered by the Falklands war. Then Roberto provides an example on what he means when he considers the whole world gone mad. He shows Jun his collection of newspaper articles and points out the article about a Chinese girl who was killed by a cow that fell out of a moving aircraft. Yet Jun knows this story already since she was his fiancée and he actually came to Argentina because everything in China reminded him of this tragedy.
Eventually, Jun heads to the airport and heads back home. Roberto tries to return to his quiet and ordered life but finds himself travelling to Mari's home town to find her.

Cast