The odd number

The odd figure is a black and white film from Argentina. This is the first film directed by Manuel Antín, according to his own script written in collaboration with Antonio Ripoll and based on the short story "Cartas de mamá" from the book Las armas secretas, by Julio Cortázar. Some of the outdoor scenes were shot in Paris, something unusual for the time, especially for an independent production.

The story presents a fragmented narrative structure, where past and present are intertwined to tell the story of a couple living in Paris, tormented by their past in Buenos Aires (focusing on the figure of Nico, his brother and former boyfriend her). The editing of the film, in charge of Antonio Ripoll, strengthens the temporal game, also supported by the use of music; resources that differentiate the film from the cinema that until then used to be made in Argentina.

The premiere took place at the Metro cinema, on November 15, 1962. Although it had little public impact at the time, over the years it has come to occupy a prominent place among the films of the so-called Generation of 60.

She was awarded the Silver Condor for Best Director for Manuel Antín, Best Actor (Lautaro Murúa), Best Supporting Actress (Milagros de la Vega), Best Set Design (Ponchi Morpurgo and Federico Padilla) and Best Black and White Photography (Ricardo Aronovich).

Julio Cortázar had the opportunity to see the film once it was finished, in a private screening at the Alex laboratories, in Buenos Aires, and he was very satisfied with the adaptation. From then on, Cortázar and Antín began a friendship that would last for years, and a professional collaboration that would give rise to two other films directed by Antín based on Cortázar's stories: Circe (in whose script Cortázar collaborated, released in 1964) and Intimacy of the parks (shot in Peru and released in 1965).

Cast

• Lautaro Murúa (Luis)
• Maria Rosa Gallo (Laura)
• Sergio Renán (Nico)
• Miracles de la Vega (Mom)
• Maurice Jouvet
• José María Fra
• Adriana Peña