A Place in the World 1992

The film opens with Ernesto Gastón Batyi returning to his childhood town, Santa Rosa del Conlara, in Argentina, after many years. Through his voiceover, we are drawn into a memory that anchors the story—a sprawling flashback that unfolds for most of the movie. At eleven, Ernesto adored riding horses and racing them alongside trains, a pastime that stitched his days to the rhythms of the rails and the rough, sunlit streets of the town. He also helped his father, Mario Federico Luppi, run a makeshift school out of their home, while his mother, Ana Cecilia Roth, tended to the town as its physician. This family and their cooperative effort form the emotional and social backbone of their community, setting the stage for the larger struggles they will face together.

Ernesto’s world broadens when he meets Hans, a Spanish geologist José Sacristán who seems to be hired by Andrada, the town’s mayor, to search for oil. It soon becomes evident that Hans is operating on behalf of a multinational corporation with plans to build a hydroelectric dam. Andrada’s real motive, however, is more calculating and coercive: to buy the farmers’ land cheaply before the state buys it for the dam. As Hans grows closer to the family—sharing stories and teaching geology at Mario’s school—Ernesto’s curiosity about rocks deepens, and the boy finds himself pulled into a web of economic ambition and political maneuvering that shapes his adolescence.

Ernesto’s heart follows Luciana Lorena Del Rio, a presence that adds tenderness amid growing tensions. He falls for her, but her father forbids their relationship, forcing them into secret, aching meetings. The romance unfolds against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the local farmers and changes in ownership that threaten their way of life. The tension is amplified by Andrada’s threats, which push cooperative members toward accepting lower wool prices, a move that pits community loyalty against survival.

Amid this pressure, Mario acts with a fierce sense of justice. He takes a drastic step by burning the wool shed, a bold declaration meant to rally the farmers to resist the squeeze and demand fairer terms. This act reshapes Ernesto’s sense of duty and loyalty, underscoring the moral stakes of staying or leaving. Mario later tells Ernesto that he and Ana will move to Buenos Aires so his son can pursue his education, while Ernesto chooses to stay behind, feeling tethered to the town that raised him and to the memory of his father’s resolve.

As the dam project begins in earnest and Hans departs for Spain, Ana decides they will remain for another year, hoping to find a path that could save their land and livelihoods. The film closes with Ernesto at his father’s graveside, reflecting on the course his life has taken and vowing to carve out a place for himself in the world, no matter how uncertain the path may be.