Museo was shown as part of the 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). It tells a great story with some quirkiness and comedic elements. As a Mexican movie, there are some aspects such as historical and political factors that are culturally-specific. These aspects made it difficult for me to comprehend totally, having no knoweldge of Mexican culture. It's not a criticism of the film, more a self-disclosure of my inability to relate to all of the content. This aside, there are many aspects of Museo which have universality: the relationship between parents and adult children, the humour, childhood friendships that continue into adulthood, the moments of pathos and family Christmas get-togethers, which is portrayed with great mischieviosness in Museo. These are built around the heist of the Archaelogical Museum, which is at the centre of the film. Museo also raises questions about storytelling which is in the background throughout the movie. Are stories which are passed down in narrative form always accurate or do they become embellished as time goes on? What is fiction and non-fiction? What is true and what is false? So that at the end of the movie the audience is left wondering how much of what is portrayed did happen. Gael Garcia Bernal as Juan (the brains behind the heist) steals the show (oops poor pun there .. lol). His sidekick Benjamin played by Leonardo Ortizgris makes up the pair and provides some of the funnier moments in the film. The film drags a little in the middle and could do with some editing. Overall, this is an entertaining film, which will have more salience for a Mexican audience.
