Did You Know There's a Whisky-Themed film From Uruguay Titled 'Whisky'?

The 2004 film Uruguay was directed by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll. At the time, the film garnered double honors from the Regard jury and international film critics at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Whisky" is a tragicomedy that actually has very little to do with whisky. The narrative revolves around a reticent and gruff sixty-something named Jacobo Köller, proprietor of a dilapidated sock factory. Each day in his life is a stale rerun of the previous day where barely anything goes right. His roller shutter is broken, his car sporadically refuses to start, and the list goes on. His life is a series of bad luck, but that's about to change.

His faithful assistant, Marta, lends him daily support while leading an equally monotonous existence. All of a sudden, the rhythm is disrupted by the arrival of Jacobo’s brother, Herman, from Brazil. Unlike Jacobo, Herman truly knows how to revel in life and isn't afraid to laugh.

Until his brother appears on screen for the first time, we never see Jacobo or Marta laugh. As a viewer, though, you may find yourself chuckling when Jacobo asks Marta to pretend to be his wife to avoid appearing odd to his brother. The first time they actually laugh is when they take photos. Did you know that in Uruguay, instead of saying 'cheese' when taking a photo, they say 'whisky'?

Voila! An amusing way to bring out smiles. This happens twice in the movie, and despite its title, the film is mostly about socks, not the "divine drink". But don't let this dampen your spirits. It’s a quirky film! Sadly, one of the directors, Rebella, is no longer with us. He took his own life in 2006.