Waiting for the Messiah

Waiting for the Messiah
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Daniel Burman
Produced by	Executive Producer: Diego Dubcovsky Producers: Luis Ángel Bellaba Enrique Piñeyro
Written by	Daniel Burman Emiliano Torres
Starring	Daniel Hendler Enrique Piñeyro Héctor Alterio
Music by	César Lerner Marcelo Moguilevsky
Cinematography	Ramiro Civita
Edited by	Verónica Chen
Production company	Astrolabio Producciones S.L. BD Cine
Distributed by	Primer Plano Film Group
Release date	May 25, 2000 (2000-05-25) (Argentina)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	Argentina
Language	Spanish Yiddish

Waiting for the Messiah (Spanish: Esperando al mesías) is a 2000 Argentine, Spanish, and Italian comedy drama film directed by Daniel Burman. The film features Daniel Hendler, Enrique Piñeyro, Héctor Alterio, Melina Petriella, Stefania Sandrelli, Imanol Arias and Dolores Fonzi, among others.

The film won many awards including Best Film at the Lleida Latin-American Film Festival in Spain. The film takes place in a Jewish community of Buenos Aires.

The picture tells of Ariel (Daniel Hendler), a post-production video editor, a young man who is torn between his devotion to traditional family ties and the desire for something different, and, of Santamaria (Enrique Piñeyro) an older bank employee who suddenly finds his life in complete turmoil.

Santamaria is unexpectedly fired from his bank job due to the world's stock market shocks. His wife takes this event as an opportunity to get rid of him and put him out on the street. Forced to make a small living returning stolen wallets, Santamaria finds some hope in Elsa, a bathroom attendant (Stefania Sandrelli) who is waiting for her husband to be released from prison.

Ariel is very much against the restraints of a future that will see him take over his elderly father's (Héctor Alterio) restaurant and marry an Argentine Jewish girl (Melina Petriella). At the same time, Ariel is also attracted to a sexy co-worker, Laura (Chiara Caselli), who tells him she's a lesbian.