Adolfito and his grandma Isadora meet at the park after a long time without seeing each other. The distance between both benches will become more narrow as they trick each other trying to find their weaknesses. A tender short film with a black tone inspired by the characters of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's and Sylvain Chomet's films. From Argentina.

Juror comments: Pops vs. Raisins is a tender short film that touched my heart and funny bone at the same time. Producer/Director Lucia Paz and writer Santiage Larre created a terrific production team to capture this quirky relationship between a young boy, Adolfito, and his grandmother at the park. They play a game of one-up-man-ship that is uniquely characteristic of Paz’s own Argentinean family tradition. Playful, a little mean, a little funny, a little upsetting – but very loving under it all, this dynamic duo sets a new bar for shorts of this nature.

The production is well shot and edited. The actors deliver authenticity and mischievousness by Cristina Meresca and Juan Francisco Reynaldi. Despite the sensitive issues of “fatness” and “old age” being at the heart of their verbal game - now taboo subjects in “politically correct” cultures, a deeper issue looms. The grandmother and the boy’s mother have quit speaking with each other and this meeting may be the start of something new for all of them as a family.

I give Pops vs. Raisins 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 6 to 13, plus adults. It comes from Argentina and the dialogue is in Spanish with English subtitles. Reviewed by Nancy K., KIDS FIRST!