This not to be confused with the recent Amy Adams romantic comedy of the same name, and no one will make that mistake after watching this Mexican psychological drama for even a few minutes. It’s very difficult to describe without giving too much away, but the early part suggests that director Michael Rowe means to make an extremely intimate film. As business writer Laura, Monica del Carmen, who had a small part in Babel, gives a performance that can literally be called brave. Almost all of the scenes take place in a modest Mexico City apartment, and the effect is voyeuristic, like we are spying on Laura, who appears to be in her 30s. She types on her laptop and casually picks her nose. She eats packaged food. She takes a call from her mother, far south in Oaxaca province. She watches the neighbors through her window and masturbates. Some nights she goes out and picks up strange men. Last, she crosses off the day on her calendar.
This portrait of loneliness changes when one of the men returns. We learn a little more about Laura, see all of her, and surmise something about her past, yet although the movie will not be easy to forget, the effect may be more shock than enlightenment.
IMDB link
viewed 10/24/10 at Ritz 5 [Philadelphia Film Festival] and reviewed 10/25/10
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