Review of Yo, también

The opening night attraction at the La Mirada festival of Hispanic cinema was this engaging but off beat romance between an unlikely couple. Yo, Tambien (Me, Too) is the fourth film from the writer/director partnership of Antonio Naharro and Alvero Pastor, but it is the one that has gained the most success, having traveled the film festival circuit and picking up a number of international awards along the way. The central character here is Daniel (Played by Pablo Pineda), a high functioning sufferer who has earned a university degree and holds down an office job with social services. It is there that he befriends Laura (played by Lola Duenas, from Volver, etc), a dysfunctional colleague who drinks to excess and sleeps around. These two outsiders form a friendship that enables them to cope with an often cruel world. Yo, Tambien successfully sets out to challenge our perceptions of normality, but many will find the film challenging because of its subject matter. However, it is an honest and intelligently handled look at how people with Downs Syndrome are treated, both by society at large and by their own well meaning but overprotective families. While it could have been exploitative and patronising, the film maintains a sense of dignity in its treatment of its central character. A key subplot centres around Luisa and Pedro (played by Lourdes Naharro and Daniel Parejo respectively), both of whom also suffer from Downs Syndrome and who want to experience freedom, but are less successful. Pineda, who himself suffers from Downs Syndrome, gives a warm and natural performance filled with humour and spirit. He is essentially playing a character that has a number of parallels with his own life. Duenas is also very good in a complex role and she gives an emotionally charged performance. The leads develop a very strong rapport, and the genuine chemistry between them lifts the movie. The film is set in Seville, and the bright but understated cinematography of brings the location to life. The film has been beautifully and sensitively directed by Naharro and Pastor, but there are some scenes during the second half that hint of unnecessary padding.