User Reviews

Though the film definitely has an abrupt non-ending, every minute before it was a delight. This is a film about a senior couple losing their pension because their government reallocated pensions towards debt-paying. The first part of the film lets us into the lives of Antonio and Bertha, relationship ever so strong, the couple still intimate and very pleasant towards each other. We spend time out to meet Antonio's 3 friends. What I love about the film is how it endears every character to its audience. I realized halfway how much I truly cared for everyone, and enjoyed spending time with them. While the film initially reminded me of Brillante Mendoza's Lola, this film is a much better experience in that while our characters are going through a hard time, it finds many beautiful things to laugh and smile about. It's a more realistic, more human approach to find things to laugh about so we can continue to live, I think. The second part introduces us to a member of a much younger generation, their grandson Paco. He enters this much older world, in some ways he fits right in, and being of an age closer to me, I appreciated being with the rest of the characters through him. Again the film finds a lot of comedy, nothing harsh or rude or mean, a gentle, teasing humor that I personally love. To reiterate, the film ends suddenly, it caught everyone in the audience off-guard, though personally it wasn't that big a deal to me. It's the kind of film that never needed this strong, sure ending anyway, and I do believe I prefer that over a shock ending.