The Future

Two adolescent siblings, Bianca (Manuela Martelli) and Tomás (Luigi Ciardo), face an uncertain future as new orphans in Alicia Scherson's The Future. A grieving Tomás loses interest in everything except the bodybuilding culture of a nearby gym, while Bianca quits school to become an apprentice at a hair salon. The teens' lives take another turn when a couple of shady trainers from the gym come home one day with Tomás and never leave, initially acting as substitute parents (cooking, cleaning), then as lovers to Bianca, before ultimately revealing themselves as pimps and thieves—prodding Bianca to infiltrate the life of a blind, former Mr. Universe and movie star named Maciste (Rutger Hauer), who supposedly has a fortune tucked away in a hidden safe in his home. While the gym rats impatiently wait for Bianca to find Maciste's money, she basks in the aging star's attentions, growing increasingly fascinated with his life and film career (at one point even taking a movie studio tour to see vintage sets where Maciste played Hercules in a string of action flicks). Agendas colliding with needs will inevitably result in disappointments and broken hearts in this moody tale in which Scherson presents Bianca both as a bedraggled teen and a romantic, moonlit figure—a reflection of the vulnerable girl's conflicts. Recommended. (T. Keogh)