"La vida perra de Juanita Narboni" is a film about a woman in Tangier, Morocco, who is very unhappy. She was born into a rich family, to an alcoholic father and a very controlling catholic mother. Her sister is basically a slut, as Juanita, the main character, constantly mentions. Juanita's own misfortunes with men start with her engagement to a gay man, who eventually leaves her for another man. She is afraid of meeting someone afterwords - not just because of her catastrophic engagement, but also because her mother's strict rules about prudence and chastity bind her very tightly. So Juanita ends up staying single. She lives to see both her parents pass on, and her sister eloping with one of her beaus. Her best friends die, or leave the country, and no one is left to share her life except her faithful servant Hamouch - who eventually disappears as well.
"La vida perra de Juanita Narboni" is a film about one woman's lifelong solitude, it portrays her inner struggles with a very high dose of irony. Mariola Fuentes, who plays Juanita, is a remarkable actress. Her monologues and soliloquies are very enjoyable - she really captures the character's self irony and humor, but also her pain. Other actors are unfortunately by far not as good as Fuentes, which is really a shame. Another weak point in the movie is that the narrative, which is set in a very interesting place (Tangier) in a very interesting time (1938-1965), does not actually exploit all the possibilities available through this setting. Important historical and cultural aspects could have made the narrative richer and more satisfying, in my opinion. Because these aspects are only in the very vague background, the movie gives the viewer the feeling of having missed something.
All in all, and foremost because of Fuentes wonderful acting skills, I would say this film is entertaining, but not quite fulfilling.
"La vida perra de Juanita Narboni" is a film about one woman's lifelong solitude, it portrays her inner struggles with a very high dose of irony. Mariola Fuentes, who plays Juanita, is a remarkable actress. Her monologues and soliloquies are very enjoyable - she really captures the character's self irony and humor, but also her pain. Other actors are unfortunately by far not as good as Fuentes, which is really a shame. Another weak point in the movie is that the narrative, which is set in a very interesting place (Tangier) in a very interesting time (1938-1965), does not actually exploit all the possibilities available through this setting. Important historical and cultural aspects could have made the narrative richer and more satisfying, in my opinion. Because these aspects are only in the very vague background, the movie gives the viewer the feeling of having missed something.
All in all, and foremost because of Fuentes wonderful acting skills, I would say this film is entertaining, but not quite fulfilling.