One day Dora leaves Anita in charge of their family-owned shop while she must run an errand. She would only be gone for fifteen minutes. At least that was the plan—before the explosion.
Anita spends every day with her mother, Dora, in Buenos Aries, Argentina. They traverse the city, work in the shop and visit her late father’s grave together. Dora and Anita make quite the pair. They rise and rest together. Anita greatly relies upon her mother, for you see, Anita has Down syndrome.
Anita’s brother, Ariel, is moving speedily along with his life—with a beautiful wife and successful career. Though the only time he spends with Anita is to come over for dinner and break promises to further spend time with her—but hey, it is the world cup after all.
Events conspire that set Anita on her own after a disaster hits Buenos Aries. She has always operated with her mother at her side, handling all the specifics of her life. She has never been on her own before. But now in the midst of a crisis, she navigates the city, alone. As far as she is concerned, her mom will still return when the big hand touches to top of the clock. She doesn’t know where she lives so she cannot ask for directions or tell anyone where she is from.
It’s cold out and she is growing hungry. Anita is in quite a bind.
Lucky for her she meets Felix, a drunk who helps Anita on her way. We are soon drawn into Felix’s story as well, as he struggles with his ex-wife and tries to see his son. However, Felix is but one person Anita meets on her journey. She encounters a number of characters, all with unique and diverse stories to tell.
While Anita has her “adventure,” Ariel races to check on her and Dora after receiving word of the crisis at hand. He finds no one, and continues through the film trying to piece together what happened. He has no idea if they are alive or dead.
The film tells the story of Anita’s lost journey through Buenos Aires, the innocence she carries with her and the strangers she must rely upon. It is a film that incites a few tears set against a couple smiles.
While it doesn’t explicitly say so, it can be assumed that the film takes place during the chaos of the July 18, 1994 bombing that took place in Buenos Aires—a tragic attack where a car bomb was exploded at the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA). It is the deadliest bombing in Argentina’s history, killing 86 and injuring hundreds more.
As part of the 19th Annual Jewish Film Festival, the NW Film Center will be screening Anita on April 13. ?