El Baño del Papa

The Pope is coming to Melo, and everyone's getting ready. Melo is a poor Uruguayan village on the Brazilian border whose inhabitants are used to barely scraping by. Chief among occupations is petty smuggling, where men ride bicycles laden with necessities through the brush country across the border, dodging customs officers. EL BAÑO DEL PAPA centers on one family: schemer/dreamer Beto, his long-suffering wife Carmen, and their adolescent daughter Silvia, who dreams of a better life as a TV announcer. With his smuggling business drying up, Beto has the brainstorm of building an outhouse along the Pope's travel route and charging pilgrims for the privilege of using his facility. As Beto desperately tries to smuggle in his new toilet bowl in time for the great event, his cherished bicycle is stolen by a ruthless customs agent. Will Beto make it back to Melo in time? Just how many pilgrims will show up, and will they finally make Melo rich? This charming film is a study of optimism in the face of almost certain defeat. (In Spanish with English subtitles) — BB