Fourteen-year-old Ana lives in Buenos Aires with her dad Javier, an artist and teacher. Following an accident, she has a metal plate in her arm. During the winter holidays, Ana suddenly starts to feel mysterious pulses in the plate. Without mentioning anything about it to Javier, she works with her friend Lepa to compose a melody, “The Heartbeat Song”, inspired by the rhythmic signals. One night, an argument with Lepa leads Ana to wander the city alone. A chance encounter with a young soldier reveals the true nature of the pulses: they are words in Morse code. After realising that her arm is an antenna to an unknown mystery, Ana becomes determined to decode the words.

This is the synopsis of The Major Tones [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], the first feature by Argentinian director Ingrid Pokropek, which has been selected for the Generation section of the 74th Berlinale, which will unspool from 15 to 25 February, after having world-premiered at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in November.

The Buenos Aires-born director, screenwriter, producer and teacher has made several short films including Electric Boy and Shendy Wu: A Diary, and has also produced films like Laura Citarella's Trenque Lauquen [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Laura Citarella
scheda film], Agustín Mendilaharzu and Constanza Feldman's Clementina and Luciana Acuña and Alejo Moguillansky's La Edad Media.

“The Major Tones was born of the interest in injecting a fantastical element into a more or less realistic, believable one. But then there's a minor contradiction: the desire to film one city in particular (Buenos Aires) and to work with its geographical features, and another desire to unfurl a strange, almost supernatural, enigma within it. In that sense, I was also attracted by the fact that here, the connection with the fantastical would happen through the body. A girl's arm acts as the antenna, as the link with an invisible mystery,” explains the director.

The Major Tones is produced by Argentina's Gong Cine and 36 Caballos, and is co-produced by Spain's Jaibo Films. Spain's Bendita Film Sales is handling international sales.

Check our exclusive trailer below: