Aahana Swrup
The Hallmark ranch-romance film ‘My Argentine Heart’ presents a push-and-pull love story in which a blast from the past offers the possibility of a happily ever after. After Abril’s cousin, Belinda, considers putting the family farm on the market, the former finally returns to the Argentine ranch to search for an alternate solution. Nevertheless, she finds herself in for a surprise when she realizes her ex, Deigo, who broke her heart after a few summers of romance, is the potential buyer.
Yet, when further complications threaten to take Abril and Belinda’s ranch under, the business strategist has no choice but to work with Deigo to save her previous land. As the story plummets into a complicated romance surrounded by complicated circumstances, the audience will find themselves intrigued to unravel the ultimate fates of the ranchers. SPOILERS AHEAD!
My Argentine Heart Offers a Romantic Escape
Directed by Joie Botkin, ‘My Argentine Heart’ has all the makings of a compelling romantic tale, made all the more special by its scenic country-land backdrop. The story sets up the engrossing dynamic between the main leads from the get-go, establishing them as exes who are obligated into civility due to forced proximity. Consequently, their enemies-to-lovers potential, paired with thematic parallels in their romance and Abril’s “Boston vs. Argentina” storyline, adds an effortless emotional weight to their relationship. Furthermore, past mistakes and misunderstandings between the pair only attach that much nuance to their relationship. This ensures the audience remains engaged with the central storyline, driven to root for Abril and Deigo’s love.
Similarly, the secondary romance—between culinarian Belinda and the sweet attorney Antonio—finds solid footing to take off, even if its promising potential is largely unexplored. As such, the film delivers on the romance front with ease. However, the storytelling becomes a little thinner in the narrative when it comes to the ranch trade plotline. Any antagonistic characters or plotlines that serve as a stone in Abril’s shoe feel underdeveloped or underutilized at times. Thus, complications and solutions often appear and disappear without much fanfare, making it abundantly obvious that the ranch is simply a plot device to bring Abril and Diego to their happy ending. Fortunately, by the end, heartwarming genre conventions—an unsent letter, a final misunderstanding, and a confession by a waterfall—swoop in to save the day.
My Argentine Heart Plot Summary
Abril, a business strategist, has found herself unlucky in employment as her most recent professional blunder prevents her from getting back up on her feet. Therefore, she has surrendered to the idea of relying on her savings for a little while longer. However, an opportunity presents itself during a phone call with her cousin, Belinda, who runs their family ranch in Argentina. Belinda has been contemplating selling the ranch in order to undertake new adventures in her life—preferably as a restaurant owner. However, Abril—a part owner of the land—is unwilling to let go of her family inheritance.
Therefore, Abril comes up with the idea of traveling to the ranch and devising a plan to save the ranch. Yet, her arrival in Argentina comes with a surprise when she realizes that Deigo, her ex, is a farmhand on the ranch. Worse yet, she soon realizes that he’s the one offering to buy the land from Belinda. All of this poses a befuddling situation for Adril since she remembers Diego as the boy who left Argentina—and thus broke up with her—to strike out on his own in the finance world. Nonetheless, he now stands before her newly remade as a complete cowboy at heart.
Diego wants to expand on the land and turn it into an authentic tourist getaway to introduce people to the country’s lifestyle. However, he’s unwilling to entertain Abril’s proposition of becoming partners for the endeavor so that the cousins can retain ownership of the land while still getting a payout. For the same reason, she seeks out another investor, Tomas. Nonetheless, Tomas only ends up bringing trouble. As it turns out, the ranch has an ancient pending loan that the businessman is able to buy to threaten an acquisition of the land. His route of action—though incredibly rude—remains legally sound as another childhood friend, now lawyer, Antonio, explains it.
Consequently, Abril finds herself joining forces with Deigo to find a possible solution to Tomas’ problem. While their momentary partnership leads to little problem-solving, it offers an opportunity for the two exes to bond again and reminisce over their past. Fortunately, Abril is able to find a last-minute solution after contacting a former colleague who felt partially guilty for her previous career-defining mistake. Even though he can’t buy the ranch, he offers Abril a job in Boston with a hefty paycheque. Therefore, she concludes that she can use her savings and assets to pay off the ranch’s loan, allowing Diego to buy it at his previous offer.
From there, Abril can give up her shares to Belinda, affording her enough profit to open her restaurant. Although this is a net-negative outcome for the former, financially, she insists it solves everyone’s problems. That is, save for the newfound recognition of her restlessness that Abril has realized she feels in her life. In the past, Abril let her time in Argentina define her life, even if she was only around for the summers. Therefore, the ranch—and Deigo—became the solid footing she has always needed. Now, her momentary return inevitably reminds her of the happiness she found in her past.
Therefore, Abril seeks a return to the same. Yet, even though Deigo’s feelings have also rekindled, he can’t return to the unsure footing he had with the woman he loves, who has a penchant for leaving after the summer. Therefore, he initially turns down the partnership she offers. Yet, eventually, he’s able to face the situation’s reality with courage and chases Abril down to the Iguazu waterfall, her pitstop before Boston. There, the former lovers resolve the complications of their past and decide to embark on a new future together. Ultimately, Abril becomes a part of the ranch once again, with Diego by her side as a partner—in business and more.
Read More: My Argentine Heart: Filming Locations and Cast Details
