It's not easy to pull off a true character study in modern cinema, when audiences seem to crave explosions, action and more action. But writer and director Guillermo Casanova pulls it off in his debut, "Seawards Journey" ("El Viaje hacia el Mar").

The barely 80-minute film follows a group of small-town Uruguayan men on their first trip to the coast to see the ocean in 1963. Joining them is a stranger (Cesar Troncoso) who wandered into town that morning, seemingly passing through.

There is Rataplan (Diego Delgrossi), the town's garbage man, the cynical gravedigger Quintana (Julio Calcagno), the lottery ticket seller (Julio Cesar Castro) and his dog Aquino, reluctant traveler Vasco (Hector Guido) and the good-natured, philosophical Rodriguez (Hugo Arana), who offers to drive the gang in his old pickup truck.

As the truck breaks down during the long journey, the men bond through jokes, songs and conversation and all the while they, and we, get to see the wonderful Uruguay countryside.

Although the well-dressed stranger from the capital becomes accepted into the group, no one ever really gets to the bottom of what he's up to and how he ended up in their small town of Minas.

But it doesn't matter, as most of the men are just excited at getting their first chance to see the ocean. But will it be everything they expect? How will they react to their first taste of a more cosmopolitan, more modern -- compared to remote Minas -- seaside resort?

The performances by the entire cast are finely rendered. The actors have to carry the entire film with their interactions, which are the focus, rather than the action or the plot.

The film, with its gorgeous scenery, is a feast for the eyes. The story is simple and charming. It is based on a short story by Juan Jose Morosoli and co-written by Casanova and actor Julio Cesar Castro. Castro, who appears as the lottery ticket man, died shortly after the film's 2003 release. There's hardly a fault to be found in this wonderfully ambling, sweetly engaging and refreshingly unambitious work.

"El Viaje hacia el Mar" or "Seawards Journey" -- in Spanish with English subtitles -- screens Wednesday, April 13 at 7 p.m. as part of the Latin American Film Series at UWM Union Theatre, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. Admission is free.

For a complete series schedule, click here.