Mariano Pensotti

The Argentinean director Mariano Pensotti is one of a new generation of theatre-makers in Buenos Aires. The city has a vibrant theatrical tradition in which theatre-makers write their own plays, direct, and often perform themselves. Pensotti studied film, art and theatre. His performances strike a fine balance between reality and fiction. In 'El pasado es un animal grotesco', he shows a cross-section of the lives of two men and two women between 1999 and 2009. Thirty-somethings, middle class, just like him. Dog-eared snapshots, found by chance in a photo studio, inspired him to start writing. In this superbly solid acting, four young actors recount memories from the past ten years of their lives. One of them had dreamed of being a filmmaker, but for the time being has had to settle for parts in boring commercials. A student and amateur writer receives a box containing a hand. A young woman becomes obsessed with the discovery that her father is leading a double life in the countryside. A girl had dreamt of a life in Paris like in the nouvelle vague films, but ends up working in a theme park depicting the life of Christ. On stage is a revolving carousel divided into four rooms. Just as in a film, you keep on seeing different sets, where each episode is brought to life. The past slowly reveals itself to us as a grotesque beast that changes shape with every new memory.