Escala en la ciudad review: A sleepy, atmospheric night in 1930s Buenos Aires

If you love old, dusty black-and-white dramas about men making terrible life choices in the middle of the night, Escala en la ciudad is probably worth your hour and a bit. But if you hate slow movies where almost nothing happens except people walking down foggy streets and talking in cafes, please skip this one immediately. 🚶‍♂️

The whole setup is kind of hilarious if you think about it. Jaime Lara (played by Eduardo Berri) is on a cruise ship with his wife, they stop in Buenos Aires for literally one day, and he just... sneaks off.

He doesn't even have a plan! He just wanders into the foggy night, leaving his poor wife sleeping in their cabin.

I kept waiting for some big dramatic reason for him to run away. Like, maybe he is a secret spy or running from the law?

Nope. He is just bored and wants to see the city.

Eventually he meets Isa, played by Cecilia Lezard. She is supposed to be this "frivolous hooker" but honestly, she just looks like she wants a giant cup of coffee and a long nap. ☕

There is this one scene in a bar where they just stare at each other for what feels like five minutes. The music playing in the background is so scratchy and loud you can barely hear what they are whispering.

I actually liked that part. It felt real, like when you are in a loud club and have to guess what your friend is saying.

The cinematography has this gorgeous, wet look to it. Every street looks like it was just sprayed down with a hose right before the director yelled action.

If you have seen Chiaro di luna, you know how these old night movies can feel so cozy yet lonely at the same time. This has that exact same vibe.

But unlike some other films from the era, like Eyes of the Heart, there is no big moral lesson here. Jaime is just a guy being kind of a jerk, and Isa is just trying to get by.

At one point, Jaime buys her a cheap necklace and the way she looks at it is so sad. It is like she knows it is fake but has to pretend to be happy anyway.

I did notice that the sound design is pretty terrible in some spots. Like, there is a dog barking in one scene that sounds like it was recorded inside a tin can. 🐕

And the ending... well, it just sort of stops.

It does not really wrap things up nicely. He has to get back to the ship, obviously, but you are left wondering if his wife ever found out he was gone.

I bet she did. You can't just sneak back onto a giant steamship at 5 AM smelling like cheap perfume and harbor fog without someone noticing.

Some random things I wrote down while watching:

• The hats in this movie are *huge*. Seriously, Jaime's hat covers half his face in every close-up.
• There is a background actor in the cafe scene who keeps looking directly at the camera. It is so funny once you spot him. 👁️
• The music composer really loved the violin. Like, *really* loved it. It never stops screeching.

Is it a masterpiece? Nah, not really.

But it has this weird, sleepy charm that makes you feel like you are also walking around Buenos Aires in 1935 with a pocket full of regrets.