Puan: Argentina Amazing Laugh

Puan by Benjamín Naishatat and María Alché, is the story of a university professor, Marcello Pena who has devoted his life teaching philosophy at the Public University of Buenos Aires. A prodigious thinker, but a clumsy man, living in a modest house with his activist wife.

When his mentor, Professor Caselli dies unexpectedly, Marcello is the most obvious candidate for head of Department. However, his plans turn upside down with the surprising appearance of another protégé, charismatic and sexy, Rafael Sujarchuk.

Extremely funny and light-hearted, the whole story seems to revolve around the empty seat of the head of the department, but the development instead sees the closing of the faculty, and the academic solidarity between students.

The result is a remarkable political film that offers strong support for the cause of public education. A highly entraining comedy, that has a powerful message against the Argentina far-right presidential candidate going into elections in October with Javier Milei’s plans to abolish free healthcare and privatise the education system.

Also, Puan has many clever references and reflections on Argentine society, the fixed idea of the subalternity of its thinkers, always in dutiful position regarding the philosophers of France and Germany, and the arrogance of considering themselves superior to the rest of the Latin America, revealed in a scene where Marcelo mistakes a Bolivian Professor for a cleaner.