Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Response to Mario Fas
I think that Marcos killed Ana for no reason and that is the point of the movie. I think he was in so much despair and uneasiness that he let all the repressed feeling one can have to control him. All his fears and disappointments became actions. I don't think he loved her. Also I thought that Marco's wife was interesting. We did not get to know her very well but I think she was far from linear. she had so much understanding of her situation that she was able to accept the role Marcos wanted to give her (furniture in the house) and she dealt with it.
Battle in Heaven
This is by far my favorite movie until now. I like the plot and I like the performances of all the characters. The movie reminded me of Repulsion by Polanski. It really captured the feeling of the characters even though the characters themselves did not show a lot of expression or physical emotions. I liked the contrast between the fast paced of the city and the stillness of Ana and Marco. The contrast brightened the despair of the main characters because it put them in a context at the same time as it alienated them from Mexico city.
The relationship between sound and picture was also important in the film. There were a lot extraneous sounds in the scenes like the classic music at the gas station, the clocks at the house and the metro station and the music in the country side. The music help us to focus in the people more and less in the surroundings.
I found interesting how the director presented Mexico city. although the director told the interviewer that the film was not political a lot of elements were a lot about Mexico and not just about an x city. The flag, the close captions of religious images, the city shots, the road trip towards Ana's house, the guy wearing the mexico jacket at the airport, the march of the pilgrins. I agree that the film is about two people but it happens that those people are Mexican and they are very affected by the dynamics of their city. Truth is though that the characters seem free to make their own decisions. they did't seem so limited by their socioeconomic status like in Los olvidados or El callejon de los milagros.
About the narretive, The marriage was interesting because of the hate-love interactions but also it was genuine and it felt honest to me. Also, women had very different roles in this movies than in any other film we have seen. All females appeared strong and confident.
The relationship between sound and picture was also important in the film. There were a lot extraneous sounds in the scenes like the classic music at the gas station, the clocks at the house and the metro station and the music in the country side. The music help us to focus in the people more and less in the surroundings.
I found interesting how the director presented Mexico city. although the director told the interviewer that the film was not political a lot of elements were a lot about Mexico and not just about an x city. The flag, the close captions of religious images, the city shots, the road trip towards Ana's house, the guy wearing the mexico jacket at the airport, the march of the pilgrins. I agree that the film is about two people but it happens that those people are Mexican and they are very affected by the dynamics of their city. Truth is though that the characters seem free to make their own decisions. they did't seem so limited by their socioeconomic status like in Los olvidados or El callejon de los milagros.
About the narretive, The marriage was interesting because of the hate-love interactions but also it was genuine and it felt honest to me. Also, women had very different roles in this movies than in any other film we have seen. All females appeared strong and confident.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Response to Marianne B
I also really liked the way the story was told. I almost think that the breaking of the chronology and the naming of the parts has become a very Mexican feature I have seen it on Amores perros and Amarte duele. Back in track, I agree on what you said about all the stories becoming one and all the characters affecting each others life, however I don't think that they are victims of each other. I think that they just made the choices they thought or felt were right for them. As for Alma I think that she wanted to do something with her life and she saw in Jose Luis the only door towards a different lifestyle but not because she pitied herself but because she wanted a change.
De virgen a prostituta
Lo que me parecio mas interesante de la pelicula fue la transformacion de Alma. Al principio ella era el personaje mas virginal. Ella representaba pureza e inocencia y al final de la historia ella es una prostituta, lo cual la convierte en su propia antitesis. Aunque Alma pierde su virginidad en su nuevo trabajo parece que no ha perdido su inocencia y vulnerabilidad. Ella sigue siendo ingenua y pasiva, siempre esperando que la vida o "el destino" actuen por ella.
Algo que no causo perplejidad fue la logica detras de la decision de Alma y por eso es que me parece interesante su conversion. Pienso que talvez Alma vio en Jose Luis una oportunidad para tomar las riendas de su vida y dejar de esperar por un esposo pero tambien alma pudo haberse dejado deslumbrar por el dinero y las promesas materiales que le hizo Jose Luis o que quiza la curiosidad por el sexo la haya conducido hacia un estilo de vida del que no puso escaparse.
Maru, la amiga de Alma tambien me llamo la atencion porque ella representa a la mujer facil sin embargo ella no se involucra con el protibulo, lo cual es inesperado.
En terminos mas generales, me gusto la forma en que la pelicula se desarrolla porque no hay ninguna critica explicita de la sociedad Mexicana pero al mismo tiempo muestra los problemas que ciertos aspectos de esta causan a nivel social. La pelicula podria pertenecer completamente a la ficcion si no tuviera tantos aspectos en comun con Mexico como la falta de oportunidades, la homophobia, el machismo, la supersticion y privacidad colectiva. La discriminacion basada en la preferencias sexuales fue la discusion mas importante para mi en la pelicula porque ese episodio afecto a todos los habitantes del callejon y fue mostrado de forma real sin mostrar extremos no situaciones improbable con las cuales es dificil relacionarse.
Algo que no causo perplejidad fue la logica detras de la decision de Alma y por eso es que me parece interesante su conversion. Pienso que talvez Alma vio en Jose Luis una oportunidad para tomar las riendas de su vida y dejar de esperar por un esposo pero tambien alma pudo haberse dejado deslumbrar por el dinero y las promesas materiales que le hizo Jose Luis o que quiza la curiosidad por el sexo la haya conducido hacia un estilo de vida del que no puso escaparse.
Maru, la amiga de Alma tambien me llamo la atencion porque ella representa a la mujer facil sin embargo ella no se involucra con el protibulo, lo cual es inesperado.
En terminos mas generales, me gusto la forma en que la pelicula se desarrolla porque no hay ninguna critica explicita de la sociedad Mexicana pero al mismo tiempo muestra los problemas que ciertos aspectos de esta causan a nivel social. La pelicula podria pertenecer completamente a la ficcion si no tuviera tantos aspectos en comun con Mexico como la falta de oportunidades, la homophobia, el machismo, la supersticion y privacidad colectiva. La discriminacion basada en la preferencias sexuales fue la discusion mas importante para mi en la pelicula porque ese episodio afecto a todos los habitantes del callejon y fue mostrado de forma real sin mostrar extremos no situaciones improbable con las cuales es dificil relacionarse.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Response to Devin
I agree about the colors and the vigorosity of the film. I also want to comment that I did not quite understood the role of the busty women. She was not a prostitute, she seemed more like a overly liberal (libertine) women who wanted to have fun. She did not seem to fit into any stereotype of Mexican culture and she left the film without explanation. She did not harm or was harmed. I was very intrigued by this character.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Mecanica Nacional y los 1001 temas
Mecanica Nacional is to me a very clear example of a tragic-comedy. It has a linear narrative with a lot of funny situations and extravagant characters and at the same time, its turning point is a sad and tragic event: The death of the grand mother Dona Lola.
The humor in the movie is mostly synical. The characters make fun of Mexico, mexicans and Mexico-USA politics while they inpersonate the sterotypes they are making fun of. For example, when all Euebio's friends were expalining to Gregorio why it was good to cheat they ended up going around in circles and laughing about themselves and about how absurd there arguments were. It was not clear to me whether the director was making a critique of Mexican society or if he was just making a commentary on the multiple layers, contradiccions, and contrasts embedded in the culure and social politics of Mexico.
There were many social issues mentioned in the movie but none of them were fully developed. Some of them were: Machism, violence against women, traffic, social indifference, sensationalism and lack of self control. Some topics were more prevalent than others but none seemed to bother any of the characthers. It almost appeared to me that the characters needed to have all the defects they had to be funny and for the movie to make sense. I think that if any critisism was intended by the director it had to do more with the audience's reaction than with the characters themselves. If the audience could identify itself or its neighboors in the movie, then the audience would be accepting the director's portray of mexico and therefore the director would be attacking the audience. Some times we can only identify our own defects when they are reflected in other people and I think that the director makes it obvious that some of the behaviour of the characters was wrong.
Some of the scenes in the movie are also very foreign to the narrative and therefore I would suggest that they are there to point out that some sort of social commentary is trying to be made. I am specifically reffering to the couple wearing white. They first appear very clean and tidy and slowly become very dirty as the movie progresses. I would say that the couple is trying to show what is happing in the movie and specially how the behacivour of the characters has spoilt the trip which was supposed to be fun. Another of these foreign scenes are the takes of the traffic vs the race which can have a methaphorical meaning of the crowded city life of the family vs the fun and spontaneity of the country side.
One last thing! The movie also presents some positive aspects of mexican culture . Mexican people were shown as solidary, simple, family oriented individuals with a big sense of humor and hospitality.
The humor in the movie is mostly synical. The characters make fun of Mexico, mexicans and Mexico-USA politics while they inpersonate the sterotypes they are making fun of. For example, when all Euebio's friends were expalining to Gregorio why it was good to cheat they ended up going around in circles and laughing about themselves and about how absurd there arguments were. It was not clear to me whether the director was making a critique of Mexican society or if he was just making a commentary on the multiple layers, contradiccions, and contrasts embedded in the culure and social politics of Mexico.
There were many social issues mentioned in the movie but none of them were fully developed. Some of them were: Machism, violence against women, traffic, social indifference, sensationalism and lack of self control. Some topics were more prevalent than others but none seemed to bother any of the characthers. It almost appeared to me that the characters needed to have all the defects they had to be funny and for the movie to make sense. I think that if any critisism was intended by the director it had to do more with the audience's reaction than with the characters themselves. If the audience could identify itself or its neighboors in the movie, then the audience would be accepting the director's portray of mexico and therefore the director would be attacking the audience. Some times we can only identify our own defects when they are reflected in other people and I think that the director makes it obvious that some of the behaviour of the characters was wrong.
Some of the scenes in the movie are also very foreign to the narrative and therefore I would suggest that they are there to point out that some sort of social commentary is trying to be made. I am specifically reffering to the couple wearing white. They first appear very clean and tidy and slowly become very dirty as the movie progresses. I would say that the couple is trying to show what is happing in the movie and specially how the behacivour of the characters has spoilt the trip which was supposed to be fun. Another of these foreign scenes are the takes of the traffic vs the race which can have a methaphorical meaning of the crowded city life of the family vs the fun and spontaneity of the country side.
One last thing! The movie also presents some positive aspects of mexican culture . Mexican people were shown as solidary, simple, family oriented individuals with a big sense of humor and hospitality.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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