Mr. Kaplan

Mr. Kaplan
Film poster
Directed byÁlvaro Brechner
Written byÁlvaro Brechner
StarringHéctor Noguera, Néstor Guzzini, Rolf Becker
CinematographyÁlvaro Gutierrez
Edited byNacho Ruiz Capillas
Music byMikel Salas
Distributed byMemento Films
Release date
  • 6 August 2014 (2014-08-06)
Running time
100 minutes
CountriesUruguay, Spain, Germany
LanguageSpanish

Mr. Kaplan is a 2014 Uruguayan comedy-drama film directed by Álvaro Brechner. It was selected as the Uruguayan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[1]

Plot

Jacob Kaplan lives an ordinary life in Uruguay. Like many of his Jewish friends, Jacob fled Europe for South America because of World War II. Now turning 76, he is grumpy and in need of adventure. An unexpected opportunity to achieve greatness comes in the form of a quiet, elderly German, whom Mr. Kaplan believes to be a runaway Nazi. Determined to capture this Nazi, as Adolf Eichmann was captured before him, Mr. Kaplan enlists the help of Contreras, a portly ex-policeman, and together they embark on their mission.[2]

Cast

Production

Director Álvaro Brechner developed the project at TorinoFilmLab, where it received support and mentorship.[4] The film is a co-production between Uruguay, Germany, and Spain.

Release

Mr. Kaplan had its international premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2014.[2] The film was released theatrically in Uruguay, where it became both an audience and critical success.[4] It was selected as Uruguay's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.[5]

Music

The original score for Mr. Kaplan was composed by Spanish composer Mikel Salas.[6] The soundtrack combines original compositions with previously recorded songs that reflect the film’s ironic and melancholic tone.

The soundtrack includes a version of the song SS in Uruguay[7], originally performed by Serge Gainsbourg.[6]

Reception

Critical response

The film received positive reviews from critics. Sounds and Colours praised the performances, particularly noting that Héctor Noguera was "sensational as the film's lead."[2] The review highlighted the film's warm humor and described it as "a delightful take on our desire to feel a purpose in our lives."[2]

The Hollywood Reporter called it "probably the best Uruguayan film of all time."[5] Trigon Film described Brechner's approach as demonstrating "a remarkable lightness in addressing the themes of aging and forgetting."[8]

Mr. Kaplan attracted attention from international cultural media. In an interview with Variety, director Álvaro Brechner described the film as a reflection on dignity, memory, and aging, emphasizing its restrained and humanistic tone.[9]

The film was also featured by Remezcla, which highlighted its use of humor and irony to address themes related to Jewish identity, historical memory, and the passage of time, situating the film within the Latin American comedy-drama tradition.[10]

Accolades

Mr. Kaplan received seven nominations at the Platino Awards in 2015, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, and Best Sound.[5] The film was also nominated for Best Ibero-American Film at the Goya Awards and the Ariel Awards in Mexico.[4]

Premio Año Categoría Nominado Resultado Ref(s)
Ariel Awards, Mexico 2015 Silver Ariel – Best Latin-American Film Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay) Nominated [11]
Biarritz International Festival 2014 Best Actor Héctor Noguera Won [11]
Biarritz International Festival 2014 Best Actor Néstor Guzzini Won [11]
Chicago International Film Festival 2014 Audience Choice Award Álvaro Brechner Nominated [11]
Goya Awards 2015 Best Iberoamerican Film (Mejor Película Iberoamericana) Uruguay/España Nominated [11]
Havana Film Festival 2014 Grand Prize Coral Álvaro Brechner (director) Nominated [11]
Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2014 Roberto Tato Miller Award – Best Latin American Feature Film Álvaro Brechner (director) Won [11]
Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2014 Best Latin-American Film – Latin-American Competition Álvaro Brechner Nominated [11]
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2015 Cine Latino Award Álvaro Brechner Nominated [11]
Huelva Latin American Film Festival 2014 Silver Colon – Best Screenplay Álvaro Brechner Won [11]
Huelva Latin American Film Festival 2014 Silver Colon – Best Screenplay (Mejor Guión) Álvaro Brechner Won [11]
Uruguayan Film Critics Association 2014 UFCA Award – Best Uruguayan Film Álvaro Brechner (director); Mariana Secco (producer); Roman Paul (producer); Gerhard Meixner (producer) Won [11]
Uruguayan Film Critics Association 2014 UFCA Award – Best Latin American Film Álvaro Brechner (director); Mariana Secco (producer); Roman Paul (producer); Gerhard Meixner (producer) Nominated [11]
Uruguayan Film Critics Association 2014 UFCA Award – Best Actor Héctor Noguera; Néstor Guzzini Nominated [11]
Uruguayan Film Critics Association 2014 UFCA Award – Best Art Direction Gustavo Ramírez Won [11]
Uruguayan Film Critics Association 2014 UFCA Award – Best Director Álvaro Brechner Won [11]
Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival 2015 Jury Prize – Best Actor Héctor Noguera; Néstor Guzzini Won [11]
International Film Festival of India 2014 Golden Peacock – Best Film Álvaro Brechner (director) Nominated [11]
Platino Awards 2015 Platino Award – Best Film Uruguay Nominated [11]
Platino Awards 2015 Platino Award – Best Director Álvaro Brechner; Fabián Oliver Nominated [11]
Platino Awards 2015 Platino Award – Best Sound Fabián Oliver; Nacho Royo-Villanova Nominated [11]
Platino Awards 2015 Platino Award – Best Cinematography Álvaro Gutiérrez Nominated [11]
Platino Awards 2015 Platino Award – Best Screenplay Álvaro Brechner Nominated [11]
José María Forqué Awards 2015 Best Latin American Picture Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay/España) Nominated [11]
Platino Awards 2015 Premio Platino – Best Film Álvaro Brechner (director) Nominated [11]
Havana Film Festival New York 2015 Havana Star – Best Actor Héctor Noguera; Néstor Guzzini Won [11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Seleccionada para los OSCAR". Instituto del Cine y Audiovisual del Uruguay. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Sounds and Colours (29 October 2014). "Mr Kaplan". Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Boccaccerias Habaneras Wins Havana Film Festival New York". Cuba Si. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Álvaro Brechner". TorinoFilmLab. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference brechnersite was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference KaplanMusic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "SS in Uruguay", Wikipédia (in French), 4 December 2025, retrieved 7 January 2026
  8. ^ "Films by Álvaro Brechner". Trigon Film. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference VarietyKaplan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference RemezclaKaplan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Mr. Kaplan (2014) — Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
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