To say that Mexico is defined by duality is certainly a cliché, but one with a very true basis. Since the concept of the country being born out of the mixture and tension of Indigenous and European (mostly Spanish) peoples and cultures, many other divides and mixes have come (but never gone), defining historic periods and "Mexicanity" to this day. "Normal"/less-fortunate, government/governed, rich/poor, Mexicans/foreigners, criminals/"good people", Mexico City/Provincia, have all been definitions of the self and others that most modern Mexicans constantly deal with on some level.
"The Room", as it's originally titled in Spanish and fortunately changed to "Tales of Mexico" in English to avoid confusion with the infamous Wiseau film, also uses its translated title to set itself up as something of a lesson in Mexican history. An anthology film where 8 directors each tackle a segment based on a historically significant period, all taking place almost entirely in the titular room of a mansion in Mexico City from the early 1900s to the modern day, occasionally sharing characters and actors. This isn't a "primer" in Mexican history but more of a "seconder"; if terms and dates like Porfiriato, 2 October 1968, 19 September 1985 or Colosio aren't immediately identifiable to you, the film does only the bare minimum to explain them and their importance. For those of us already familiar, the film does a good job of depicting the time periods, with the idea of setting most of the action in such a limited space proving brilliant as minimal set dressings allow to represent the period without falling into the low-budget production values that usually plague Mexican period films. Seeing the mansion evolve from a single-family dwelling to a multi-family apartment building, to something of a collective commune also does wonders for this concept. The film not only works as a historic film but also on some level as being about FILM history, specially with the last 3 segments working as a clear throwback to the Mexican grimdark misery so common on-screen in the late 90s/early 00s.
The same pratfalls of the majority of anthology films make themselves known here as well, with the end result being unfortunately uneven. Some segments seem too concerned with pushing an agenda that they let storytelling behind, the Chinese and street kid segments being the clearest examples. A real shame considering what better storytelling could've done to actually help their agendas more and how important these agendas are, given that to this day, Mexico has a troubled history with immigrants and "others". Ethnic stereotypes are still present in nearly every example of Mexican humor on all media and, ironically considering our usual reactions to anti-migrant attitudes in countries like the U.S., a definite trend of anti-migrant attitudes aimed specially at the recent waves of people from Central and South America has risen among some Mexicans. Regarding the poverty represented by the street children segment, social class stereotypes in media still abound as well and the stratification of Mexican society is very evident even in modern times. In contrast, the segment with the little person is one where I think the balance between agenda and storytelling works, as the character is humanized, making us question such common cultural expressions in Mexico as "midget wrestling" and "circus dwarfs".
Part of the unevenness of this as a film comes from the casting and performances as well. While choosing some actors whose first language isn't Spanish makes characters more authentic, it's the delivery that usually fails and some really seem at a loss for what their lines mean and where to emphasize. Ultimately however, "The Room" comes off as an original, interesting film project that questions and reflects on a troubled country's identity and sense of self and hopefully in doing so can help viewers from outside the culture reflect on theirs as well. A film of many films from Mexico's irrefutable capital, a city of two cities and many more, of billions of stories through the years of millions of rooms.
"The Room", as it's originally titled in Spanish and fortunately changed to "Tales of Mexico" in English to avoid confusion with the infamous Wiseau film, also uses its translated title to set itself up as something of a lesson in Mexican history. An anthology film where 8 directors each tackle a segment based on a historically significant period, all taking place almost entirely in the titular room of a mansion in Mexico City from the early 1900s to the modern day, occasionally sharing characters and actors. This isn't a "primer" in Mexican history but more of a "seconder"; if terms and dates like Porfiriato, 2 October 1968, 19 September 1985 or Colosio aren't immediately identifiable to you, the film does only the bare minimum to explain them and their importance. For those of us already familiar, the film does a good job of depicting the time periods, with the idea of setting most of the action in such a limited space proving brilliant as minimal set dressings allow to represent the period without falling into the low-budget production values that usually plague Mexican period films. Seeing the mansion evolve from a single-family dwelling to a multi-family apartment building, to something of a collective commune also does wonders for this concept. The film not only works as a historic film but also on some level as being about FILM history, specially with the last 3 segments working as a clear throwback to the Mexican grimdark misery so common on-screen in the late 90s/early 00s.
The same pratfalls of the majority of anthology films make themselves known here as well, with the end result being unfortunately uneven. Some segments seem too concerned with pushing an agenda that they let storytelling behind, the Chinese and street kid segments being the clearest examples. A real shame considering what better storytelling could've done to actually help their agendas more and how important these agendas are, given that to this day, Mexico has a troubled history with immigrants and "others". Ethnic stereotypes are still present in nearly every example of Mexican humor on all media and, ironically considering our usual reactions to anti-migrant attitudes in countries like the U.S., a definite trend of anti-migrant attitudes aimed specially at the recent waves of people from Central and South America has risen among some Mexicans. Regarding the poverty represented by the street children segment, social class stereotypes in media still abound as well and the stratification of Mexican society is very evident even in modern times. In contrast, the segment with the little person is one where I think the balance between agenda and storytelling works, as the character is humanized, making us question such common cultural expressions in Mexico as "midget wrestling" and "circus dwarfs".
Part of the unevenness of this as a film comes from the casting and performances as well. While choosing some actors whose first language isn't Spanish makes characters more authentic, it's the delivery that usually fails and some really seem at a loss for what their lines mean and where to emphasize. Ultimately however, "The Room" comes off as an original, interesting film project that questions and reflects on a troubled country's identity and sense of self and hopefully in doing so can help viewers from outside the culture reflect on theirs as well. A film of many films from Mexico's irrefutable capital, a city of two cities and many more, of billions of stories through the years of millions of rooms.
