Kate Bennett wrote: > Went to see the movie last night, thanks to Vince (who wrote I sure wish a > lot of folks would go see it this weekend so we could get a thread going) & > Les who recommended it... > > Interesting movie...so, what do you want to tawk about?
So now there are 3 of us - Kate, is your comment that it was "interesting" kind of a damning with faint praise? How did you like it? Ok, so what was the movie about? There have to be a bunch of levels of meaning, and I wonder if you agree or disagree with that -- I would identify the levels as:, 1. people searching for what they really want and when they find it, they can't deal with it, they run away from it, and their lives are harmed thereby - last scene with Julio and Tenoch, neither looks very happy, the only happy one was Daniel who had a boyfriend. When they discovered what they really wnated, what gave them joy, they both fled and the last time we see them, the joy that we saw for so long in the movie is all gone. The only other possibly happy one was Luisa who got to live her days in a place of her choosing, where she seemed blissful. 2. the political corruption of the Mexican government (which was then the PRI), all those scene of casual police repression in the background, Tenoch's father going to Vancouver for 8 months, even Tenoch's name being for political reaaons. And there is something in Tenoch and Julio not being able to keep to the manifesto of the Charolastas (whch Luisa said they should give to the government) 3. the economic displacement of the poor, from the near the opening with the dead worker to the end with the fisherman never gets to fish again. Even Julio and Tenoch, when they fought over Luisa, resorted to class fighting and insults (preppie, peasant). 4. A 4th level - that is one of the best coming of age movies ever, and certainly more real than anything we have ever seen out of Hollywood., or any Emerican film for that matter. I thought the portrayal of the boys, of their friends, their parties, the way they treated each other, was very realistic. (That is the way boys are...) 5. I keep thinking of new things - one of the best road pictures ever; the raad almost was a character in the film itself. 6. And wasn't it well acted - and the second time around, as Ebert said in his review you have it see it twice so that you watch it knowing the story - I found the script very profound. The lines about personal mythologies which we create to bind outselves to others, or that truth is nevr whole and always lacking something, or that we create new truths (Julio's confession to Tenoch, and how Tenoch went after every detail) or variatiuons thereof to satisfy others - it had some deed insights into it. The script was rooted in life experience - one does know, as Luisa knew, when one's partner is cheatring on you when they try new things that they learned from others. Or the little things that we don't know about each other (Tenoch using his foot to lift the toliet seat at Julio's house) that we are just as well off not knowing - that Tenoch yells mamacita or Julio crosses his eyes, there is a level of knowledge of others that makes us too uncomfortable no matter how close two people are. Now that is all my opinion. I maybe be totally wrong on what the movie was about - and I am really wanting to know what others thought the movie was about, because I saw it through the prism of my own life and my own experience, and my first level of meaning could be way off to someone else and I really desire other opinions, other people's insights. Also, the 2nd time I saw it, some woman was all disgusted, calling it a porn film, and I thought it was so far from porn as could be - but it was, shall we say, very visual. But that was essential to the reality the movie was after. Just my thoughts. Anxiously awaiting others. Vince
