Watched this film time ago, and at the time like everyone else got confounded with the mish mash of imagery and bare bones plot.
However a recent viewing revealed some clear connections between the scenes and images in the film, bear with me, this isn´t a full fledged analysis but more of a series of observations.
First this is a deeply mexican film, it touches on some ideas that have been long discussed regarding Mexico´s status as a developing country and the mentality and behaviour of its people
in comparison with first world people/countries, hence the aparently disconnected rugby game and sauna sequences.
-The first scene with the little girl is more of a pure image rather than a idea: if you know Mexico you might notice that the warm and tender are right next to the raw and savage.
-The devil in the house is obviously an alusion to the personal demons of the characters, right next to this scene we see Juan brutally beating his dog, and going to a help group to confess his porn addiction, there he mets "Siete" (Seven)
an all around despicable individual on his supposed path to righting his life.
And from there we see the the warm-up to a rugby match in an English school, that is a group of kids in a first world institution are learning to channel and shape their aggression.
-The sauna sequence could very well be located in other place than Mexico, in it, we see a sort of orgy, that is, sexuality here is organized and ritualized.
Compare with Juan and "Siete" ´s afflictions.
Appropiately most of this happens in the countryside, nature untamed and all that.
These are some of the things that made me see the movie in a much more connected and coherent manner, the obvious signal with these movies is to see if the images and sequences we are seeing resonate and rebound between them and why and how, and that may be part of the Reygadas plan.
Reviews
4 Reviews
The Public Woman
(1984)
Awesome
9 June 2011
This movie might confuse and frustrate viewers and rightly so, for it's lack of discernible plot elements and objectives, but rightly so because Throughout his career Zulawsky as director is more concerned with making his viewers go thru the raw emotions, sights and situations rather than drawing conclusions or tying plots.
The key in this film is that everything is experienced thru the point of view of Ethel - a stunning Valerie Kaprisky - we are limited to what she experiences and thinks, and it is a very emotionally charged view, one in which only the senses and guts can be trusted ... to an extent.
This might be obvious, but the film also deals with a lot about sexuality, there is a lot of sexual tension throughout the film, right from the title and the first images the main force driving the film is the associative and intuitive.
The production is very detailed, and impressive in the sense that is firmly supportive of the history, I have always found Zulawsky a superior director in his choice of locations, actors, misè-en-scene, etc.
Finally it has a bit of uneven pace, and in the end this movie is more a feast for the senses than an intellectual mystery.
The key in this film is that everything is experienced thru the point of view of Ethel - a stunning Valerie Kaprisky - we are limited to what she experiences and thinks, and it is a very emotionally charged view, one in which only the senses and guts can be trusted ... to an extent.
This might be obvious, but the film also deals with a lot about sexuality, there is a lot of sexual tension throughout the film, right from the title and the first images the main force driving the film is the associative and intuitive.
The production is very detailed, and impressive in the sense that is firmly supportive of the history, I have always found Zulawsky a superior director in his choice of locations, actors, misè-en-scene, etc.
Finally it has a bit of uneven pace, and in the end this movie is more a feast for the senses than an intellectual mystery.
Blackout
(IV) (2008)
Meh.
9 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Possible spoilers I wont bore you with a synopsis of this film, there's enough of that in other reviews.
I found this movie pointless by a key factor: the characters, in a plot in which three characters are forcibly secluded, is obvious they have to be interesting to make the movie work, here it isn't the case. First the choice for our trio of protagonists is random and inconsequential, they don't complement, mirror or oppose each other in any way, they're bland, all of them young, good-looking, with some feeble drama on the background, and most importantly, there are no stakes at all, there is no challenge to overcome, and the stuff that happens to stop the elevator feels forced and unnatural,mind you that I know nothing of elevators but it simply doesn't pull me into the narrative, and it is completely unbelievable that for hours no one enters the building and notice the elevator doesn't work.
The photography and music is enjoyable, but adds little to the emotions of the main idea, The abundant flashbacks that supposedly serve to introduce and develop the characters, fail to connect with the main plot line and are too generic to be of interest.
Overall the movie lacks focus or intent, three characters with secrets get stuck in an elevator- one of them a murderer- so what?.
I found this movie pointless by a key factor: the characters, in a plot in which three characters are forcibly secluded, is obvious they have to be interesting to make the movie work, here it isn't the case. First the choice for our trio of protagonists is random and inconsequential, they don't complement, mirror or oppose each other in any way, they're bland, all of them young, good-looking, with some feeble drama on the background, and most importantly, there are no stakes at all, there is no challenge to overcome, and the stuff that happens to stop the elevator feels forced and unnatural,mind you that I know nothing of elevators but it simply doesn't pull me into the narrative, and it is completely unbelievable that for hours no one enters the building and notice the elevator doesn't work.
The photography and music is enjoyable, but adds little to the emotions of the main idea, The abundant flashbacks that supposedly serve to introduce and develop the characters, fail to connect with the main plot line and are too generic to be of interest.
Overall the movie lacks focus or intent, three characters with secrets get stuck in an elevator- one of them a murderer- so what?.
Amar te duele
(2002)
Boring
8 October 2007
I watched meanwhile returning from a night out - a bit drunk to be honest-, and found at the beginning amusing it's use of pyrotechnic camera tricks at first, but in a few minutes becomes just plain annoying replacing ideas and emotions with cheap gimmicks, besides the script reeks stupidity and Mexican high-class prejudices ( especially in the central characters.
The seduction process it's just plain nonexistent and boring at best, the actor portraying Ulises has really nothing special in him, he's neither minimally good-looking, buoyant, charismatic or edgy he's just plain "cute" and to be honest that sucks in & out the screen, the same goes for the leading lady., she's pretty, but any person who has been in the mall, depicted in the movie knows that more dashing girls can be found there.
The "romantic" parts have as much emotion as an infomercial, besides the girl would end death, they could have easily break up, and Ulises end up lamenting her abandoning, just by being boring.
The "villains" are all flat images, saying and doing supposedly threatening things, but end up just padding the film.
And as for the director's daughter, who told her she has screen presence?, the only thing she does in the film, in her film career is being an insipidly annoying spoiled girl, the scene in which she vomits summarizes his presence in Mexican cinema very well...
The seduction process it's just plain nonexistent and boring at best, the actor portraying Ulises has really nothing special in him, he's neither minimally good-looking, buoyant, charismatic or edgy he's just plain "cute" and to be honest that sucks in & out the screen, the same goes for the leading lady., she's pretty, but any person who has been in the mall, depicted in the movie knows that more dashing girls can be found there.
The "romantic" parts have as much emotion as an infomercial, besides the girl would end death, they could have easily break up, and Ulises end up lamenting her abandoning, just by being boring.
The "villains" are all flat images, saying and doing supposedly threatening things, but end up just padding the film.
And as for the director's daughter, who told her she has screen presence?, the only thing she does in the film, in her film career is being an insipidly annoying spoiled girl, the scene in which she vomits summarizes his presence in Mexican cinema very well...
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