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Reviews
Mamitas (2011)
Perfectly cooked
The potential spoiler is at the very end and it is impossible to accidentally read.
This movie was a pleasant surprise. I saw the trailer for it a while ago and it stuck with me, so I did some research about it and learned it is the extension of a short film by the writer and director. Of course I found the short film and I liked it. The acting and production value were good but not great in the short, but the story was sound, so I was looking forward to the longer version.
Sometimes when shorts are extended to feature length films they add extraneous plot lines and end up undermining what was great about the original, but this film doesn't suffer from that. It was well written.
This is the kind of movie I crave to see in America, but I rarely get to see because people from communities like Jordin's are rarely portrayed as three dimensional, and their stories are usually extensions of the negative images you can already see in the news. However, their lives are bigger than that, and their lives are no different than the lives portrayed in main stream media. They just unfold differently. So, Mamitas presents a beautiful and realistic version of the boy meets girl story.
Sure it is not a completely original, but it feels refreshing because it is the kind of story that is rarely executed well. The rhythm of this movie felt right. Just about everything unfolded naturally. With the screenplay as tight as this one was, hitting all the narrative marks, the other necessary element to its success was its actors. All of them were excellent especially the leads. The way they moved, spoke and interacted felt real. That is what I loved the most about the movie. The parts felt lived in, nothing was overdone for the sake of drama.
There is probably one moment in the movie I didn't love because I think it is an unnecessary development used too much in the movies. Beyond that I didn't have a problem with anything in the movie. It was excellent and it has definitely made its way on to my list of all time favorite movies.
After writing this review I am going to do some research on these actors to see what else they have been in, but the movie business being what it is I don't anticipate their resumes will be long. However, they are very talented and I hope they have many opportunities. I will be watching out for them especially the actor that portrays Jordin.
******* Spoiler below (This is not really a spoiler, but I will put it aside in case it might affect how someone experiences the movie for the first time. It is regarding the part of the film that I had a little problem with.)
There is a moment in the movie when the two characters kiss which to me felt disingenuous to the characters and story especially since it followed the discovery of some potentially damaging information. Although not dramatic, it reminds me of when characters just spontaneously start having sex literally moments after they escape death or some equally life altering event. I understand how sex or intimacy can follow tragic and life altering events, but I think they are rarely ever aligned well in movies. In this movie it is no different. It didn't ruin the movie for me, but the movie would have been perfect without it. Minor qualm.
La finestra di fronte (2003)
Beautiful film to watch, but felt empty at times
I recently saw Facing Windows (La Finestra di Fronte), which I was looking forward to see because I read very good reviews about it and I liked the trailer. Unfortunately I was disappointed. It is frustrating to watch a movie that has excellent parts, but is poorly executed. There are ambitious movies that fall short but accomplish enough to be highly respected; Facing Window comes close but it mainly falls on its face. The film is about a couple that comes across a disorientated man who can't remember details about himself. The husband brings him home, but Giovanna his wife, benefits from this intrusion. There is also a handsome mysterious man who Giovanna observes from her window. Essentially this film is about the choices people make in life and love, and how they might affect the person.
The actors were impressive. Giovanna could have conveyed all the facets and developments in her character without saying a word. Her eyes are powerful and expressive. They capture the complexity of her feelings. The older man, Simone/ Davide Veroli, was also a solid character. But I mainly found the background figures, Eminé and Filippo, that served more as furniture pieces and foils, intriguing. They felt real, and it was easier to connect with them, which is problematic when one of the central part of the story is the supposed attraction and desire between Giovanna and Lorenzo.
Possible Spoiler ahead ****
This is not a big spoiler considering the attraction between Lorenzo and Giovanna is discussed in just about every review, but I believe the weight given to 'romance' between them was over played, and it was out of context of the arch of the story. There was no chemistry between Lorenzo and Giovanna. Lorenzo is an excellent figure to be desired from a far. He is handsome man, and the ritual of observing him from a distance gives his character a mystique and intrigue which is lost once he and Giovanna begin communicating in person. I stress the face to face interaction because Lorenzo's place in the film could have remained powerful if at some point the two became aware that they are observing each other but keep their distance.
Lorenzo seems static and one dimensional in contrast to the other character. He does not generate any interest on to himself. In the end I felt he was a mental digression for Giovanna and not a real option. He was merely a curiosity and the sense of another possibility. I wish Ozpetek had played it in that respect and kept Lorenzo at bay. He could have served as a template to investigate and understand Filippo and Giovanna as individuals and their marriage. I don't think anyone who watched this film would disagree that they had the most chemistry in the film.
A major plot point is the past life of Simone and Davide. It is deceptively framed in the film, which undermines its beauty and potential as a story. It could have been its own movie, but since it is a part of Giovanna life I really wonder why Ozpetek and Romoli didn't take a piece from that story. Simone and Davide had a love that existed in their letters, eyes and gestures. From what the film indicates they never had a physical relationship, which makes it even more powerful, so it is unclear how the lust (which is consummated) between Giovanna and Lorenzo can be (even loosely) placed in the same plane with Simone and Davide. Simone and Davide's past, Giovanna's family and the mysterious stranger in the widow are brilliant stories to explore, but together they undermine each other. There was too much going on, and the seams between them are either missing or unraveling
End of Spoilers ****
Facing Window has rich ingredients that could possibly craft an excellent film or many excellent films. Most of the characters are dynamic.
They could spawn their own tales, especially Eminé and Filipo who are instigators to the majority of the plot that unfolds. When the credits were rolling my one thought was the screen play could have been so much tighter. That would have made this a brilliant film. Maybe it fell apart in editing room. Everything doesn't have to fit perfectly together, but there should be a sense of cohesion even if it is cohesion in the lack of symmetry between the stores. Although I have so far heavily criticized some of the choices in the movie I have to praise the cinematography. It is a very beautiful film to watch. I wouldn't say that is worth the cost of ticket, but it is a redeeming quality, and score was beautiful although sometimes too heavy. Good effort, but overrated. 6/10