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Modern adaptations of Shakespeare can fail spectacularly if they’re not carefully directed. But in rare cases, when all the pieces fall into place, newer versions illuminate the truths the Bard laid out hundreds of years ago. Argentine filmmaker Matías Piñeiro’s Viola, an adaptation of Twelfth Night played out by hipsters in Buenos Aires, interweaves the rehearsals of a group of women producing an all-female production of the play with snippets from their love lives. To kick off its annual Latin American Film Festival tonight, AFI Silver Theatre pairs Viola with Rosalinda, Piñeiro’s earlier adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, set on a tropical isle. The remainder of the fest spans comedies, thrillers, and documentaries produced throughout the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world, including Who Is Dayani Cristal?, a docudrama about an unidentified body found near the Arizona border and actor Gael Garcia Bernal’s quest to figure out who the man is.
The festival runs Sept. 19 to Oct. 9 at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $10–$12. (301) 495-6700. afi.com/silver/laff.