Pretentious and dull, this Uruguayan exercise in magical realism takes place during the annual carnival in Montevideo. An illiterate urchin (Matthias Acuna) works hard peddling newspapers to help support his two sisters and his grandmother, a professional psychic; after he's robbed by street punks, a mime materializes to console him and leads him to some sad-sack performers and a mysterious night watchman (Jorge Esmoris). Characters pass in and out of this 2005 feature, adding to the sense of dislocation as director Leonardo Ricagni (29 Palms) moves toward a baffling denouement. 108 min.