Here I am again playing catch up on my reviews since Saturday night. Sunday, because of Easter and my plans to spend it with family, I did not attend any films that day. Monday, however, I could be found back at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar where I was a regular fixture since Thursday night.
Monday April 25
LA MIRADA INVISIBLE/THE INVISIBLE EYE
Director Diego Lerman who also co-wrote this film with Maria Meira presents a story of facist oppression, sexual repression, and revolution in early 1980s Argentina. Maria Teresa (Julieta Zylberberg) works as a teacher in a highly strict and rigid private school. Marita (nickname) leads a lonely and sad life, otherwise. Even though young, single, and attractive she has a shy, introverted personality. She lives with her mother and grandmother and has no social life whatsoever. While the nation is on the verge of a revolution, another revolution is taking place within Marita as she begins to embrace her longings for sexual passion and freedom. This longing leads to an obsession with one of her students, but also attracts some uncomfortable advances from her head master Biasutto (Omar Nunez).
Lerman does an amazing job visually using little dialogue in the film to truly build the tension in the movie so taut that when the film climaxes it explodes. Zylberberg offers an amazing performance, perfectly capturing the repression, longing, and loneliness in the character's heart. Using her expressiveness and body language she performs beautifully even with the limited lines Marita speaks. Omar Nunez excellently portrays the headmaster who lusts after Marita and constantly harasses her. Lerman and Meira's script ingeniously mirrors the political revolution of Argentina with Maria Teresa's story and her personal revolution.
4 Stars (Out of 4)
BALA MORDIDA/BITTEN BULLET
Mexican writer/director Diego Munoz Vega's entry in the film festival is a documentary style, unflinchingly raw satire on police corruption that stylistically may be slightly exaggerated, but nevertheless is not too far removed from reality. Police officer Mauro Hernandez gets himself too deeply involved in his units corrupt drug dealings headed by his commander. Besides the corruption involving the police and their handling of drugs, the injustice goes beyond this including mishandling and misappropriation of money, and scandal concerning the poor quality and tampering of police equipment such as body armor and weapons. Hernandez is at a turning point in his life where he has to decide if he should embrace the evil and unscrupulous practices in the force or abandon it completely. While he is no angel himself, he does have to the opportunity to make some moral changes in his life.
This raw, crude, and violent motion picture has some incredible moments that feel realistic as if a film crew followed a Mexican police unit around. However, there are some elements where Vega gets a little carried away with certain characters and elements. He particularly gets a little overzealous with his commander character who comes across more like a scenery chewing, mustache curling caricature in some of the movie's scenes. The actor Damian Alcazar does portray the character to frightening effect despite the writing flaws. I just felt that if the character had been shown in a less cartoonish manner, Vega would have had a stronger impact with this villainous person. Miguel Rodarte, who portrays Mauro Hernandez, does an excellent job as the protagonist of this movie. Miguel Munoz Vega's direction and story telling combines shocking elements of Ferrara's BAD LIEUTENANT, and the more comic elements of Robert Rodriguez's MACHETE to create a satirical film which should touch a nerve among Mexican citizens, and the Mexican police force. I do applaud his boldness for telling this type of story fearlessly.
3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)
Wednesday April 28
I didn't make it to CINE on Tuesday night because of a prior committment, but was back at the Alamo South on Wednesday for two more movies.
DOS HERMANOS/BROTHER AND SISTER
Another great entry from Argentina, this movie tells the story of two very different siblings, older brother Marcos and younger sister Susana. Marcos (Antonio Gasalla) tends to be much more sensible and down to earth than Susana (Graciela Borges). He has assumed responsibility for their elderly and ailing mother's care. A former goldsmith, Marcos these days does very little of his old trade and his life revolves around caring for his mom, and occassionally visiting Susana. Susana, on the other hand, has very little to do with her mother and constantly immerses herself in various cons and schemes while priding herself as an entrepreneur who deals in real estate, art, and cooking. When their mother passes away, Susana sells their mother's home to cover her growing debt and sends Marcos to live in a house she owns in Uruguay. While constantly blaming Marcos, Susana who can't seem to make a living honestly starts meddling in Marcos' life interrupting his attempts at reviving his goldsmith trade and his pursuit of a new hobby, acting. The meek and soft spoken older brother is driven to wit's end by his sister and eventually is forced to take a stand.
Directed by Daniel Burman who co-wrote the screenplay with Sergio Dubcovsky creates a lovely story that reflects the realities that do exist in brother/sister relationships. These elements are wonderfully portrayed in the story and quite well by the two lead actors. Co-starring in this film as Marcos' play director, Osmar Nunez,who also stars in another Argentinian entry LA MIRADA INVISIBLE/THE INVISIBLE EYE, shows that he can play a more likable role than the leacherous one in the above mentioned film. A great cast along with solid writing and direction make this a must see.
4 Stars (Out of 4)
TL-2 LA FELICIDAD IS UNA LEYENDA URBANA/HAPPINESS IS AN URBAN LEGEND
The TL in the title stands for Tetsuo Lumiere, the director of this second part of a planned "autobiographical" trilogy. I'm guessing that it's a fictional autobiography based on the highly imaginative and fantastic and the over-the-top style in which he tells the story. Lumiere is an amateur filmmaker who makes low budget movies on a cheap camcorder. In this sequel to TL-1 MY KINGDOM FOR A FLYING SAUCER, Lumiere falls in love with both a blind girl Lourdes and her best friend Natasha. All of this self-imposed drama and other negative factors in his life inhibit his ability to create the science fiction movie he's always dreamt of making. His greed and lust eventually take a tragic toll during the filming of a stunt. His friends and associates recount this crazy tale of an unusual but determined filmmaker in a documentary style.
I had not previously seen the first part of this film series, so I had no idea what to expect at all. What I saw was the work of an amazing and highly imaginative young filmmaker who obviously has a deep and true love for classic and B cinema. Lumiere, obviously has a profound love for films of the silent era, particularly Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. As his friends and associates recount their memories of Lumiere, he plays out the story very much in the style of films of the silent era using very physical slapstick comedy, as well as old school special effects and incredible editing techniques. His frenetic style of filmmaking and story telling serves the movie well along with his well written and performed humor which rarely falls flat. There are a few cringeworthy moments where women are hit or slapped around in what are meant to be comedic gags, but Lumiere often goes to far with this gag. Other than that, his film had me constantly laughing to the point of tears. This talented young Argentinian filmmaker has a tremendously bright future ahead of him.
3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)
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