Jodorowsky's self-therapy: "La danza de la realidad" [2013 Chile, France]

After nearly a quarter of a century, Alejandro Jodorowsky, the Swiss Army Knife among provocative artists, conjures up a deeply personal film by adapting portions from his recently published autobiography. "La danza de la Realidad" [Eng. Title: The Dance of Reality] is also a family affair, with his wife and sons also chipping in for the project. His son Brontis, who many will remember as El Topo's little son, plays Jodorwsky's father Jaime, and his character is pretty much the main focus of discussion in the film.








An autobiography with a difference, the film isn't strictly a literal interpretation of events from childhood, but does contain factual details within a larger Jodorowskian canvas. It shows the early years of Alejandro (Jeremias Herskovits) growing up as a shy, white Jewish boy in the Chilean coastal town of Tocopilla. Giving insights into how he perceived the world around him back then and particularly his relationship with his parents, the now older Jodorowsky, as himself, enters scenes intermittently to comment on proceedings and mentor his younger self through his growing-up pains.


The film, while making several knowing references to his earlier work, is presented as a fairy tale - like a nostalgic look-back, Amarcord-style. But that's where comparisons with Fellini end; because this one is a different kettle of fish altogether - almost every scene is a visual attack on your senses - it's a wild fantasia, ranging from the lyrical to the exquisitely profane. As anyone who'd seen his earlier works should know, Jodorowsky doesn't pull back anything if he's out to make a point. He will use any means at his disposal to load it with layers of mystic metaphors and other hippie-delights. You see police throwing protesting limbless miners to the back of a truck, circus clowns bullying a child, a hunchback woman die for love, a buxom mother show her son how to go unnoticed by others in public - in the nude, and a loving wife healing her husband by urinating on his plague-infested body.


Here's just one example of the many metaphor-laden scenes we get to see - after a stone that little Alejandro throws in anger at the sea unexpectedly results in thousands of fish getting stranded and perishing on shore, seagulls appear from nowhere to feast upon the sudden glut, and Jodorowsky muses, "I felt confused: should I suffer the anguish of the sardines, or should I delight in the joy of the seagulls...". Jodorowsky's mother Sara (Chilean soprano Pamela Flores) sings in the film instead of talking - while the reason was because it was his mother's long-held wish to become an opera singer, and he was merely trying to fulfil her ambition symbolically, it is even more moving if you interpret it as the mother's voice in itself sounding as music to young Alejandro's ears.



A therapy:

The film has a personal mission too. Jodorowsky, heavily involved in his psychomagic, in effect workshops his film project into an elaborate therapy session, with family, to come to terms with a difficult past. He'd mentioned (separately) that he was traumatised in childhood by an overbearing father who expected him to be as manly as he was, one who he opines was also a hypocrite in facing up to his own ideology. Through the film, Jodorowsky not only highlights his father's flaws, but also enables him to redeem himself and regain his humanity towards the end, which of course, didn't happen in reality. Children in town back then made fun of him because he was white, and circumcised. He was often harassed by people because he was a (relatively) rich Jewish boy, and effeminate looking with his long blond hair, which was nurtured by his mother to remind her of her own father. It's because of these reasons that the film was also shot in the very place he lived - in a Tocopilla that's barely changed over the years. But since his childhood home was destroyed by fire, he built one again to resemble the original home for this film. He also repainted all the run-down homes in the vicinity to recreate his childhood landscape, in order to put to rest his demons. The film set, and everything that went with it, was gifted back to the town after the shoot.

The film isn't a straightforward work of fiction or even a strictly fictionalised biography - the thoughts in the film aren't that of Jodorowsky as a child growing up in the 1930's, but that of an octogenarian looking back at it using present intellect. And since everything is seen from a vastly different viewpoint, there is no point in poring over its historical accuracy, let alone delving into the narrative. Regardless, it is engaging and life-affirming in its own unique way. The performance from actors playing the mother-father duo and the son, particularly Brontis Jodorowsky, is brave and 'real' to say the least. Jodorowsky's other son Adan handles the soundtrack and music with panache. The film was also the result of a reunion of sorts between Jodorowsky and his co-producer Michel Seydoux - they'd stayed apart after a doomed 70's project (Dune, the one that never got made but nevertheless inspired sci-fi cinema the world over). However, it is an altogether personal film and should not be compared like-for-like to Jodorowsky's earlier works, and certainly, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.com Blue-ray & DVD Purchase Link

 

The Nudity: Pamela Flores and Brontis Jodorowsky
Brontis Jodorowsky throws himself into his character headlong, and opera singer Pamela Flores - much respected and loved in her home country, doesn't hold back either, which also reflects in the eye-raising frankness of their respective nude scenes. Wholesome Flores barely flinches while singing in the nude, and Brontis is as at ease with his naked self as he was, as a child in El Topo. There are at least four scenes featuring frontal nudity, male and female.



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"Mujeres infieles" [2004 Chile]: "Orgasm is a fundamental human right!"

So declares psychologist Eva Soler (María Izquierdo) during a TV talk show in Rodrigo Ortuzar Lynch's début feature "Mujeres infieles" [Eng. Title: Unfaithful Women]. Her statement is aimed at furthering the film's intentions, which is to open up a mainstream discussion on why 62.5% of Chilean women, according to a recent study, are unfaithful to their partner.











Whilst Eva Soler is the film's voice of reason, it is the characters that interact with her at various levels who build the loosely interconnected comedy drama. By juggling timelines and filling in details when needed, the film keeps us engaged and entertained for the most part.

The film begins with Cecilia (María José Prieto), the host of the aforementioned talk show, telling her husband over phone that she's having a late 'production meeting', only to enter a hotel suite with her lover Alberto (Cristián Campos), also her boss. Their conversations will reveal the dynamics of their relationship.

A terrible accident occurs in their suite that night, which will draw Cecilia's colleague and rival Mario (Daniel Alcaíno) to the scene of the tragedy whilst reporting live for TV with camera and crew. While Cecilia survives with minor injuries, she's left to face the music alone on her way to recovery, from husband and the wider public.

We watch a parallel story unfold in the affairs of Cecilia's confidante Carola (Viviana Rodríguez). She'd been secretly having sexual relations with her grown-up stepson Cristián (Benjamín Vicuña). They're in love, but don't know how to break it to the person who'll be the most concerned about it, husband Alvaro (Mateo Iribarren).

Indifference from clichéd stereotype of a husband Pedro (Remigio Remedy) will encourage Virginia's (Gabriela Aguilera) to develop sexual fantasies involving a hunky gardener, that'll also usher in her very first orgasm. After a chat with her psychologist (Eva Soler), she'll learn to live out her orgasmic fantasies whilst remaining 'faithful' to Pedro, using a 'responsive' sex toy that happily never watches football.

Cristina (Sifrid Alegria), a friend of Virginia, first meets Spanish-return Roberta (Lucia Jiménez) at the airport and is instantly smitten by her charm and sexual charisma, leading her to experiment with something she'd never considered before. Thrown amongst these characters are a pair of sleazy detectives whose antics are mainly there to make the film's taboo topic more palatable to a mainstream audience.

The film, whilst hinting at a changing society, stops short of making any in-depth analysis - it's essentially nuggets of wisdom that's sugar-coated with layers of entertainment. But you won't be disappointed if like me, it's mainly the sugar rush that you were after.

Amazon.com DVD Link [NTSC]

 

The Nudity: Viviana Rodríguez, Benjamín Vicuña, María José Prieto, and Cristián Campos
The highlight is the 'smoking' hotel sex scene that also features frontal nudity from the delectable María José Prieto and a rather athletic Cristián Campos - Cecilia undresses whilst delivering a weather report loaded with double endentre, while Alberto pays dearly for a bad habit afterwards (sorry about the mild spoiler, guys). There is also a long-ish but rather awkward sex scene between Viviana Rodríguez and Benjamín Vicuña (the latter - bless him, can't act if his next meal depended on it).



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"199 recetas para ser feliz" - [2008 Chile, Spain]

After a commendable début (Los debutantes), writer-director Andrés Waissbluth has surprisingly made only one other feature at the time of posting - an offbeat threesome romance among Chilean immigrants in Barcelona. It's a shame he hasn't made more, considering the directors out there peddling their trade with lesser talent and yet making an occasional success of it.


"199 recetas para ser feliz" [Eng. Title: 199 Tips to be Happy] begins with an interesting premise. During an unusually hot summer in Barcelona, Helena (Tamara Garea) and husband Tomás (Pablo Macaya) have just been informed of the death of Helena's brother Milo back in Chile, but they're unable to attend the funeral due to an emergency. One day and out of the blue, Milo's erstwhile girlfriend Sandra (Andrea García-Huidobro) - whom they'd never met before, comes knocking at their door. The couple welcome Sandra to stay with them until she sorts herself out, but the unexpected union will bring to fore latent feelings and insecurities in the couple's lives.


Helena strikes an immediate rapport with Sandra in wanting to cherish her beloved brother's memory through her, and perhaps in hoping to find remnants of him in the girl he loved, but more importantly to bereave and come to terms with his death. Tomás is unhappy with his job marketing books for a publishing firm. He isn't sure what he wants to do next, and has withdrawn into a shell that even Helena finds hard to get through. Whilst promoting his friend's latest book (the same as the film's title), Tomás finds in Sandra a welcome if dangerous distraction from his job - he spends his days following her through galleries and alleyways of Barcelona, observing from distance her casual flings, and soon starts to fancy her. Meanwhile Helena's affection for Sandra also develops into sexual desire, which she'll begin to openly display even in Tomás' presence.


But Sandra - far from being a passive recipient of the couple's attentions, actually provokes and encourages their lustful feelings, and through their embraces, hopes to find what she'd earlier found in Milo. The film, while reminiscent of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema in the way a stranger's entry into a household upsets its balance, doesn't go deep enough in articulating the emotional aspect of the love triangle. It is slow-moving in places because of this failure - there is good screenplay but inadequate characterisation. Due to this, the provocative ending too has a hollow ring to it, but it could've turned out better with a bit more effort from the cast.

DVD Order Link [NTSC]

 

The Nudity: Tamara Garea, Andrea García-Huidobro, Alana Vandeweghe, and Pablo Macaya
The film justifiably carries with it an erotically-charged undercurrent, also echoed in the heat and sweat of the summer, and helped by a fan that frequently keeps breaking down. Tamara Garea, as Helena, wears minimal clothing throughout the film and also poses nude for an art class in two scenes. Apart from a couple of beach sequences, Andrea García-Huidobro - playing Sandra, and the object of the couple's desires, appears nude during three sex scenes; with a casual lover at a cheap hotel, in a lesbian encounter with Helena, and later during a ménage à trois with Helena and Tomás, which also shows Pablo Macaya briefly in the nude. Alana Vandeweghe plays a nude model sitting in one of the art classes that Sandra attends.



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A film review: "Gloria" [2013 Chile]

"Gloria" is one more cinematic gem crafted in Chile this year that was written, directed, and co-produced by talented young film-maker Sebastián Lelio (also co-produced by Pablo Larrain).

The film is about its titular heroine Gloria (Paulina García), an independent woman in her late fifties who'd been divorced for a while and has two grown-up children living on their own. Lonely at times, more so because the children are also fiercely independent and do not want her involved in their personal lives, Gloria has to leave messages on their phone reminding them to call her. But rather than brood and complain, Gloria's approach to life is altogether upbeat - she goes out in the evenings, even if by herself, to dance and socialise with people, and seek companionship with men of her age. She may be past her youth and best looks, but she's a woman determinedly lapping up life to the best of her abilities, and enjoying every moment of it as they happen.

But Gloria is also not someone trying to rebel against old age, nor is she seeking anything other than conventional love - her musical tastes, mostly pop songs from yesteryears, vividly convey her aspirations. She'll find a man of her liking in Rodolfo (Sergio Hernández) - slightly older but divorced for just a year, with a still dependent ex wife and needy grown up daughters. The two embark on a passionate love affair, but it will become clearer by the day that whilst passion can kick-start a relationship, maintaining and building upon it by making compromises here and there is an altogether different matter...

The film's message is social rather than political. It is about a generation that doesn't believe that sex and passion should end at a certain age, wrinkles notwithstanding, and that it is perfectly acceptable to express one's sensuality and seek sexual intimacy during any stage of their lives. It is aptly conveyed through piercing visual commentary and a surprisingly mature characterisation that belies the director's young age. The middle-aged couple portrayed could be the viewer's father or mother, or themselves even - the dilemmas and issues that the characters go through would relate universally.

The film is made all the more remarkable thanks to extraordinary performances, particularly by Paulina García who even won a Silver Bear at this year's Berlinale, and her totally frank and brave sex scenes with Sergio Hernández - they're as honest and real as they could get - full of sensuality and immediacy. García, appearing in almost every frame, is the heart and soul of the film, and she carries her character so naturally that you don't see an actress but a very real woman. Her interpretation of Gloria, in nuance and style, is the female equivalent to Toni Servillo's Jep Gambardella in their quest for la dolce vita - together they should also share the honours for this year's finest performances in film. Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Paulina García and Sergio Hernández
There are four scenes in the film that feature nudity from Paulina García - three of which are also highly sensual sex scenes that break new ground in the way mature sexuality is depicted in mainstream cinema without compromising its integrity.



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Gaby Hoffmann in "Crystal Fairy" [2013 Chile]

Sebastián Silva's English language feature "Crystal Fiary" [Full Title: Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus, and 2012] is a character study of two American tourists in Chile with very different outlooks. I had seen only one other film from the director and was quite impressed by it (Nana), and was naturally curious to watch this, also because it's co-produced by Pablo Larrain, another promising Chilean filmmaker.

Jamie (Michael Cera), an American tourist visiting Chile with the main purpose of getting stoned with mescaline cooked from a local cactus plant named San Pedro, attends a house party with Chilean friends Champa, Lel, and Pilo (played by director Silva's own brothers - Juan Andrés, José Miguel and Agustín). He invites a young woman dancing wildly there, a fellow American named Crystal Fairy (Gaby Hoffmann, the little girl from Field of Dreams and daughter of actress Viva - an Andy Warhol regular), to join them on a trip that he and his friends are about to undertake the following day, which is to find and procure the fabled cactus. Jamie regrets inviting her the next day and silently hopes that she had forgotten about his offer. But she doesn't, and calls to inform him that she's on her way to join them at the planned meeting point. Jamie suggests they ignore and leave her waiting, but Champa disagrees and they collect her on their way.

Boorish Jamie couldn't be any more different from the free-spirited Crystal, and the film spends considerable runtime developing their respective characters admirably. While Jamie comes across as a complete prat - he is selfish, uptight, and insensitive with scant regard for others, Crystal Fairy is the colourfully eccentric, imposing and yet well-meaning new-age hippie type, carefree in both mind and body. She also takes pride in the new nickname they'd given her - Crystal Hairy, after casually walking naked on the boys after a shower. The three brothers are the normal ones among the group, bemused and entertained by their guests' peculiarities for the most part, and occasionally telling off Jamie for his barely concealed animosity towards Crystal Fairy.

The final stage of the film is set on a beach, after they (Jamie) manage to steal a slice of cactus from a local woman's garden. The hallucinogen is extracted by cooking the cactus, and all barring the youngest sibling partake the drug and have a trippy time. When Jamie gets nastier than usual with Crystal, she leaves the group and wanders off alone for a psychedelic adventure of her own, and momentarily also gets lost. It is her disappearance that'll allow Jamie to reflect and realise how mean he'd been to her. A reconciliation and opening-up of sorts happens when they all reunite...

The film is an interesting character study of two contrasting individuals that many of us may have come across in our own experiences. The three brothers are nothing more than a reference point of 'normality' for the two protagonists. Well directed for a large part, my only problem with the film is the final few minutes, which was either unnecessary, or could have been executed differently - Jamie's change of heart is unconvincing, and some of Crystal Fairy's secret past needn't have been dragged into the picture.

It is nevertheless very well performed by the two main actors. I have never seen Michael Cera's work before, but he makes us truly hate his character here, not by merely acting cruel, but by letting his character believe in his own thoughts and actions - people like Jamie tend to believe that they're nice and always on the right. Gaby Hoffmann on the other hand, is a total blast, completely becoming the bohemian chick that she must've been used to seeing while growing up in the Hotel Chelsea neighbourhood of New York. It is refreshing to see such talents like her still available for independent cinema in USA.



Apparently they even partook mescaline in the film for real, and the trippy sequences were them in their stoned state according to an interview in The New York Observer. In the article, she also confides in her naturally-hairy appearance ("working a 70's vibe", as an enchanting Hollywood star also recently admitted). In any case, this film certainly emanates a friendly vibe that can be enjoyed by anyone used to something other than present-day Hollywood, and is Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL] | Amazon Blu-ray Link

 

The Nudity: Gaby Hoffmann
Ms. Hoffmann appears nude in at least three scenes - two of which include full frontal nudity and are also fairly long (don't see that often these days, do we!). The first of the two is also the funniest, when her character emerges after a shower to engage in conversation and drink, stark naked, with four gob-smacked guys in the room. The second is Crystal Fairy's separate trippy self-discovery/adventure amidst rocks and scattered shells (and a dead rabbit that simply wouldn't be revived :-( ). She later forgets where she left her clothes and walks back in the nude, until a passing archaeologist restores her modesty. That's a weird chick having a weird trip alright! Incredibly sweet nevertheless..!



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Manuela Oyarzún and Paloma Moreno from “Paseo de Oficina” [2012 Chile]

Roberto Artiagoitía makes yet another below-the-line comedy "Paseo de Oficina" [Eng. Title: Office Tour] and it is pretty apparent that it was meant for a DVD audience on Saturday afternoons, preferably with a few cans of beer. The review will therefore be brief, and I'll let you guys decide if you want to spend any time with this...

It's the day out for employees of a department store in Chile, ostensibly meant for 'bonding' and team building. But they've recently been taken over by a foreign chain, and as part of the shake-up, some of the staff are about to be laid off. The store manager uses the occasion to short-list the staff he doesn't get along with - the group who'll be the main characters in the film. One of them - Danae (María José Bello), wants to steal the letters from the manager's assistant and have them destroyed, and asks his friend Lori (Paloma Moreno) to help. The staff welfare officer Leo (Luis Gnecco) uses the occasion to impress his new MD Benedetto (Gastón Pauls), but he's more interested in trying to patch things up with lover Sofia (Manuela Oyarzún) - Leo's friend and colleague. It's not just the MD - most of the staff too are trying to score with someone during the "field-trip". Cue for some tacky humour, innuendo-laden gags, and horny young couples sweating it out behind the bushes and inside the coach cabin...

Whenever it becomes difficult to determine why some films simply 'suck', more often than not it is the screenplay that's the culprit, which is also the case here. There are some well-known faces in the cast, but they too don't raise the film to anything above mediocre. Apart from a decent performance from Luis Gnecco who plays Leo, and a bevy of pretty Chilean girls in their summer clothes, I found very little to keep me enthused. It even makes the director's earlier frat-themed film - Grado 3 appear good..!

DVD Link [NTSC]

 

The Nudity: Manuela Oyarzún and Paloma Moreno
The film features two noteworthy scenes of nudity - the first is Benedetto's flashback of an earlier successful seduction of a fellow employee - the already married Sofia, played by Manuela Oyarzún, and the second is on a leaky boat between Alexis (Fernando Godoy) and Lorena, played by pretty model Paloma Moreno - it's plain to see she ain't an actress, but bless her for trying..!



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Identifying one's Morality and Sin, "Joven y alocada" [2012 Chile]

Young Chilean director Marialy Riva spars with religion and ingrained attitudes towards sex in her country through the drama "Joven y alocada" [Eng. Title: Young and Wild].

Storyline:
Narrated through a precocious teenager's astonishingly detailed blog entries, we follow the sexual and spiritual exploits of seventeen year old Daniela (Alicia Rodríguez), daughter of well-to-do evangelical parents in urban Chile. Daniela's mother (Aline Küppenheim) watches over her zealously to prevent any hanky-panky, but Daniela, in deference to her innocent looks, has been sexually active from a very early age, and of late has even been experimenting with threesomes. After one indiscretion too many, she's dismissed from school, and the furious mother punitively takes away Daniela's privileges and forces her to intern at an evangelical TV station, hoping that'll keep her off the thought of sex. However, Daniela will get to meet a colleague Tomás (Felipe Pinto), and will embark on a tentative relationship, which will grudgingly be accepted by her mother, thanks to intervention by Daniela's terminally ill aunt (Ingrid Isensee). Daniela also makes friends with Antonia (María Gracia Omegna) - the niece of the TV station's owner, and before long, they become lovers. There is high drama when Tomás and the mother learn about Daniela's lesbian affair through the very blog she's maintaining. And in between all this, Daniela will want to get formally baptised...

The film highlights the hypocrisy among the older generation who force-feed youngsters with religious dogma to further their own agenda. In trying to depict the damage done to youngsters' self esteem and their own spiritual growth, it criticises a church system that hasn't succeeded in making itself relevant to the modern world. Heavy stuff - all this, but I couldn't help feeling that Ms. Riva may have taken on more than can be accomplished given the scope of the screenplay, which is unravelled mostly through Daniela, whose level of insight is no greater than your average teenager. Because it is hard for someone like me to see this from a Chilean or Latin American perspective, I'll have to take it the way I see it. And this is it - if the film is aiming to address the grown-ups, I'd be surprised if it succeeded at all - themes in the film have been tackled forcefully and even more convincingly before by European directors such Maurice Pialat.

The film also aims to explore an adolescent trying to make sense of her hormonal urges, but it doesn't get down and dirty a la Catherine Breillat, relying instead on the temerity of the protagonist's frankness in her voice-over narration. There is also a problem with the characterisation, which as is so often the case, reflected through mediocre performances. Perhaps I might have missed a nuance or two in the translation or the Chilean accent, but that shouldn't have impacted the film as heavily as this does. However, I'll have to give the benefit of the doubt to Ms. Riva for making an honest attempt at a rather ambitious undertaking.

Amazon.com Link [NTSC]

 

The Nudity: Alicia Luz Rodríguez with María Gracia Omegna, and Felipe Pinto
There are several instances of nudity and depiction of sexual acts in the film - mostly tame, apart from some stylised stock footage used that show explicit sex. Alicia Rodríguez, María Gracia Omegna, and Felipe Pinto appear nude during some of the scenes.



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"Bonsái" [2011 Chile]

Young directors like Cristián Jiménez are proof that cinema is alive and well in Chile, and Latin America in general. "Bonsái" may only be the second feature directed and scripted by Jiménez, but his ambitiousness is already plain to see.

Delightfully, like some of the very best films from the French New Wave, Bonsái can be appreciated at different levels. You could simply choose to follow the storyline for what it is - at face value, it is a slow but engaging film, with deadpan humour and a sense of irony. Or you may want to delve a bit deeper, and rejoice at its intricate juxtaposition of timelines, not only to make a connection with the film's cryptic title, but also the psychology of human relationships seen through the words of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, and interpreted by Alejandro Zambra, upon whose novel the film is based. It's ultimately about the protagonist's existential angst - portrayed in not as much the intensity of an Antonioni, but perhaps, a less talkative Woody Allen, if there could be one.

Relying on the storyline can have its shortcomings too - especially if it is undermined at the very outset through an explicit spoiler, when the narrator says, "At the end of the film - Emilia dies, and Julio doesn't die. The rest, is fiction." Set in parallel time frames, eight years apart, we witness Julio (Diego Noguera), first as a literature undergraduate, and later as a wannabe writer, not only fumbling through life like everybody else, but also indecisive due to his fear of making mistakes, even if he may claim otherwise. He's nevertheless knowledgeable, and appreciates the virtues of failure when he admits to Blanca (Trinidad González), a neighbour and some-time lover, "...failure is underestimated." As befitting his character, Julio becomes a writer only through chance. He is initially offered the job of transcribing a manuscript, but when the novelist changes his mind after finding a cheaper hand, Julio pretends to Blanca that he's still working with the novelist, and forges a manuscript of his own creation, using episodes of his youth spent with his girlfriend from college Emilia (Nathalia Galgani), as his material. He wouldn't have ventured into writing a book otherwise. But by writing, he will discover the reason his relationship with Emilia ended, and also the depth in Proust's words, which he had read aloud on several occasions, albeit casually, while in bed with Emilia...

The film uses the hand-crafted appeal of a bonsai tree as metaphor to subtly illustrate the protagonist's nature of projecting an image of himself that isn't strictly true - just as a bonsai is shaped into form by mimicking the effects of a particular climate, his social interactions too were based upon well intentioned 'lies'. Whether it is in claiming to have read Proust's works, which helps him get close to an attractive classmate, or in pretending to transcribe the manuscript of a famous novelist, in order to retain his neighbour's interest, Julio's pretensions, while trying to please others, has stunted his own personality. He remains a bonsai so long as he is rooted to his insecurities, constrained by invisible strings that prevent his relationships from flourishing.

TR: One of the ways director Jiménez succeeds with the film, is in the manner in which he recalls events from eight years past using selective memory - details are either ignored, or left unsaid, giving the viewer the luxury of filling in the blanks. There is very little film wasted by Jiménez in conveying his message, and there's a purpose behind every scene and chapter shown. The performances by the small but dedicated cast is also exceptional, and aided by the ingeniuty of Alejandro Zambra's novel and Cristián Jiménez's screenplay, the film is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link

 

The Nudity: Trinidad González, Nathalia Galgani, Gabriela Arancibia, and Diego Noguera
The film features some beautifully shot, tasteful scenes of nudity while observing Julio (Diego Noguera) and his interactions with college girlfriend Emilia (Nathalia Galgani), present-day neighbour Blanca (Trinidad González), and Emilia's close friend and flatmate Bárbara (Gabriela Aranciba).



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Scenes from “El Lenguaje del Tiempo” [2011 Chile]

Prior to this, I'd seen only one film by Sebastián Araya Serrano - Azul y Blanco, a football-gang themed romance that didn't particularly win me over. However, his experimental film "El Lenguaje del Tiempo" [Eng. Title: The Language of Time] is different, even if I'm yet to become a new fan of Serrano, at least upon first viewing.

Set for its most part in the living room of an apartment, it is an encounter between a man and a woman with a history, seen from different perspectives, or realities. For starters, the man couldn't recollect who she is, but that doesn't stop her from trying to help him out. The psychological drama tries to explore characters through the man's reactions and behaviour after taking away his memory, to perhaps establish the extent to which memories and reference points drive one's identity and character. Thrown amongst the couple are another man, possibly a lover (his or her's), and an adolescent girl- characters that could even be seen as manifestations of the couples' alter ego. At least this much, I gather, is the film's concept, but whether the deconstruction has been successful as a cinematic experiment is open to debate.

Serrano has used a theatrical style to explore his subject, but there are too many aspects of the film that don't work towards the objective. Perhaps it might have worked better as avant garde theatre if spacial references were also removed, focusing purely on the characters and situations - I'm not too sure. There is also not enough in the film to warrant a full-length feature - several scenes are redundant, merely stressing the obvious, and with no discerning contribution from the actor playing the protagonist (Elvis Fuentes) to beef up the characterisation - he appears more like a clueless actor instead of a puzzled and frustrated protagonist, there is perhaps a case for shortening its runtime. I can sympathise with the director's ambition with the film, but it unfortunately doesn't translate into captivating cinema, more like an exercise in tedium. However, it's only fair we get to hear what Serrano is trying to say, and those interested may follow the below link that gives his interpretation of the film project.

Official Website Link



 

The Nudity: María Jesús Fuentes
There are two scenes in the film that features brief nudity from newcomer María Jesús Fuentes, a young actress who plays the adolescent neighbour, first seen eagerly seducing the protagonist, and later being raped on the street by the other man. There is also some accidental nudity from Tamara Acosta who plays The Woman.






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Antonia Zegers in "Post Mortem" [2010 Chile]

I've only recently discovered young Chilean director Pablo Larrain, but can readily see he is set for greater things. He breaks away from the typical Latin American mould to fluidly incorporate stylistic elements from other cinema particularly from northern Europe, and his visuals and pace could very well be mistaken for a Michael Haneke or Thomas Winterberg were it not for his films' explicitly political and Chilean subject matter.

Larrain's excellent drama "Post Mortem" is set against Chile's most momentous and infamous event in its recent history, the 1973 coup d'état that overthrew an elected left-wing government and eventually brought Gen. Augusto Pinochet to power. Cleverly using that backdrop to highlight an apolitical protagonists' silent despair, it observes how desperate people act and react to certain circumstances.

Storyline:
Mario is a middle-aged civil servant, a recorder at a government hospital morgue. He is also a singleton with old fashioned beliefs, and spurns advances from a female colleague because he believes she is sleeping around. But for all his high morals, he couldn't help falling in love with neighbour Nancy, a thirty-something performer at a burlesque club, despite knowing she already has a boyfriend, and perhaps several other men whom she may need to please in order to get by. But Nancy, an anorexic and having issues of her own, is non-committal and only willing to offer him the occasional sexual relief. Her father is a member of the communist party, and her house frequently becomes a political meeting place among colleagues. But when the military stage a coup, Nancy's father and brother are taken away, and she ends up living in a disused store room at the back of her house. Mario brings her food and a radio. But soon, Mario will be recording Nancy's autopsy...

One of the notable aspects of the film is its cinematography which has a distinct dogme 95 feel about it, unusual frame aspect notwithstanding. But it works brilliantly here, especially during the long penultimate scene where we don't get to see a face - just the act of furniture being piled on top of each other. The film is slow but adequately paced, and the only music I remember is during the end credits. The performances by main actors, Alfredo Castro who plays Mario, and Antonia Zegers who plays Nancy are suitably subdued for the tone of the film. It may be mildly amusing in some scenes you wouldn't expect, but is nevertheless an unsettling film that convey's the message quite eloquently - Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.com DVD Link

 

Compilation: Antonia Zegers
The film features some brief nudity from Antonia Zegers who plays the character of Nancy. First is during an autopsy where Mario records the coroner's findings. Later, in a flashback scene of Mario and Nancy having a cry together before some detached sex.



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Blanca Lewin in "Bombal" [2012 Chile]

Chilean director Marcelo Ferrari made his recent drama "Bombal" based on the love life of acclaimed feminist author María Luisa Bombal. I cannot verify how much of the film is based on real events, but what it does manage to recreate is the extreme state of depression she was in even while writing successful books at the time, most of which delve into eroticism from a feminine point of view. Her works were well received all over Latin America, but was frowned upon within some circles in native Chile. Most of the film is told through flash-backs from Bombal's point of view.

Storyline:
The film is set sometime during the nineteen forties when María Luisa Bombal moved back to Chile with husband Jorge Larco. They have an open relationship - while he is gay, she is having an affair with a divorced Eulogio Sánchez. Hopelessly in love with Eulogio, Bombal descends into a state of depression when her feelings go in-reciprocated. After a failed suicide attempt, she goes as far as publicly shooting Eulogio who is now engaged to another woman. He survives, but at least it brings some kind of closure to that chapter in her history.

While the film has an interesting story to tell, the script/screenplay doesn't do it enough justice. The characterisation, particularly of the male characters is uni-dimensional and could have been developed further, and it isn't helped by the actors' pedestrian performances either. Blanca Lewin however is the exception as she brings her professionalism to fore, more or less compensating for the other main characters. The sound track is fine, but the scope of the cinematography and editing seems to have been restricted perhaps due to budgetary constraints. It had the potential to be as powerful a drama as Bellocchio's "Vincere", but as it stands, remains just about an above average film. The bare-bones DVD is available through the below link.

Bazuca DVD Link




Compilation: Blanca Lewin



Scene Guide:

• A flash-back as Bombal reminisces happier times with lover Eulogio. The titular role is played by the beautiful as ever Blanca Lewin. In this scene, she wants them to be openly lovers rather than continue their secret rendezvous. He tells her this isn't the right time as he still has some unfinished business from a recently ended marriage.
• At a party attended with husband Larco, Bombal watches him having sex with a younger man (uncredited), and vents her frustration by calling at Eulogio's for the night.
• Larco asks Bombal to pose for him. He advices her to stop seeing Eulogio as it is obvious he doesn't love her as much as she does. She tells her husband that Eulogio had already left her to be with another woman, and that she misses him terribly.
• A drunk Bombal picks up a younger man at a bar for a one night stand.

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Blanca Lewin & Gonzalo Valenzuela in "En la Cama" [2005 Chile]

Talented young director Matías Bize impressed audience with his debut full-length feature ("Sábado, una Película en Tiempo Real" - I'll write about it in a separate post, only hinting for the moment that the entire film was done with a single take). He cast the same lead actress (Blanca Lewin) in his 2005 drama, "En la Cama" [Eng. Title: In Bed], setting out to prove another point - that a full length film can be made (unlike a Andy Warhol), engagingly and illuminatingly from within the confines of one room. Okay, there is an additional scene in the film shot with a different set, but most of the happenings are in the one room, between two characters in a bed. The best part of it all is - it doesn't look remotely experimental. The subject is as mainstream as it gets, just as the characters. What makes the film tick is its excellent script and screenplay.

Beautifully conceived, it doesn't set out to say anything particularly profound, but reveals through dialogue the intricacies of relationships in an insightful manner. The storyline essentially is about a young man and woman, strangers, having a one-night stand after a party. Obviously sex was what in their mind, but one can't possibly keep doing it non-stop without having a break now and again. As wonderful though the sex scenes are to watch, it is during the interludes between removing and putting on condoms that the drama truly takes place. Two strangers attracted to each other in a motel room that's neither's territory, and a whole sleepless night to contend with - surely they have to talk to each other at some point. And they do, if awkwardly at first, about mundane little things like films, comic heroes etc., until they get comfortable enough to talk about their past experiences and relationships. And through the unfolding night, we see their histories unravel, we see them face up to each other naked, unprotected - as human nature intended. And theirs is not that much different to our own...

I'd reviewed this film years ago, but this is a reappraisal for the blog, and also to refresh my memory. This remarkable film is the result of a neat little concept which also didn't go unnoticed by a certain Julio Medem who acknowledged its inspiration for one of his own films. A film made with just two characters in a confined room - should work, just as your own relationship with a cherished one could within the privacy of a bedroom. It requires a fine script to pull it off, which this film does, ably assisted by some sleek cinematography and direction. The only two actors in the film - Blanca Lewin and Gonzalo Valenzuela give a fine performance and generate convincing chemistry between them on screen, although Blanca Lewin pretty much remains the star of the show. The editing may have been a touch overdone, but that's only me nit-picking - it is a fine film as it stands. Needless to say, for those who like to watch cerebral films that are also a visual treat, especially if it is from a magnetic Blanca Lewin, this is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link




About the DVD:
This DVD is from a different era. While it has some interesting extras and unseen (deleted) footage, it is also asking to be remastered. It is letterboxed widescreen, made with older TV sets in mind. I'm afraid we'll have to put up with it until technology catches up.




Compilation: Blanca Lewin and Gonzalo Valenzuela
The blog needs to evolve, and I too am breaking new ground here with this post - which is to highlight nudity from both female and male actors in the scenes featured. These are early days, and I hope I could do justice to both sexes. Except for the quality in this compilation - as hinted above, the DVD is not as good as it could be, and its heavy interlacing means there's really no point in me trying to enhance the scenes at all. But they're not entirely revolting either. The film by the way has many more scenes than I could possibly insert, and there are also blog theme-related deleted scenes that appear among the DVD extras, but can't be included here - it is already too long.



Scene Guide:

• A man and a woman take a room at a motel for a one-night stand, not even knowing their names. Daniela and Bruno won't know what to call each other until they've already had sex. They're played by a captivating Blanca Lewin and handsome Gonzalo Valenzuela respectively.
• One of several enjoyable bed-wrestling/pillow fight scenes from the film.
• They start talking about films and continue their conversation in the jacuzzi, Bruno encouraging Daniela to think up a story for her film. Followed by a steamy and realistic sex scene - Lewin and Valenzuela strike up a chemistry that's actually quite convincing. It is also beautifully shot.
• It's 4 AM - too late for this and too early for that, they need to think of something to do. Bruno is 'recharging his batteries', so Daniela offers to help - cue for a Bollywood-style song and dance routine courtesy of a radio - niceee..!
• As things stand, Bruno still needs time to recuperate, and they get chatting, about faking orgasms, and women's urge to shop (or their reason thereof)
• The uncomfortable silence after sharing each others' deep-held secrets leads to some much needed passionate lovemaking. Another virtue of this film is that each love scene is spontaneous and unique, perfectly tuned to the couple's perceived state of mind. You don't see the same thing shown repetitively. This time, Daniela's almost perfect orgasm is ruined when Bruno inadvertently calls out his ex-girlfriend's name during climax. :D

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Javiera Díaz de Valdés, Sigrid Alegría & co in "Sexo con Amor" [2003 Chile]

The fine Chilean actor-comedian Boris Quercia wrote and made his directorial feature film debut in "Sexo con Amor" [Eng. Title: Sex with Love]. Despite the subject (or because of it), it was a huge box-office hit in his otherwise conservative country.

It is as the title obviously suggests, about relationships and sexual mores seen from a Chilean point of view. But I couldn't help thinking it was perhaps trying too hard to stay within 'mainstream' acceptance - possibly not to offend catholic sensibilities. It turns out not be a cross examination of its society as such, merely stating various reasons for marital breakdown and holding a moral tone whilst perusing comedy liberally. Talking of which, the film is quite funny in places, and the performances of the actors as well as the script make some of the scenes positively hilarious. It may also be that as a foreigner, I could have missed out on some of the local nuances, but even without the intimate knowledge they're funny. The film weaves a story by using parents of some school children as subjects - their love lives, infidelities, and relationship issues. The performances by most of the key actors are very good even if they come from a largely TV background. The soundtrack is also pleasant, and the bevy of beautiful ladies are an added bonus. Needless to say, Recommended Viewing..!

DVD Link
This is a different edition to my DVD, so can't say if it is better or worse than my Region-1,4 copy. But this is the best priced item I could find at the time of posting. Mine however came with a 'Making of', some ubiquitous trailers, and a music video from the group 'Pettinellis' who did the title track (I've included it in the archive below).




Compilation 1: Sigrid Alegría, Catalina Guerra, Carolina Oliva, and Berta Lasala



Scene Guide:

• School teacher Luisa is having an affair with Jorge, the dad of one of her pupils. After some unsatisfactory groping at a restaurant, they book a hotel room that appears to have a golden carousel en-suite. Whatever, their post-coital ride is cut-short when Luisa tells him she's pregnant - and that he's the father, apparently her fiancé always uses condoms. Luisa is played by 'chica-hermosa' Sigrid Alegría.
• Luisa with her fiancé. He's obviously not aware she's pregnant as he diligently puts on a condom, which understandably puts off the naughty Luisa.
• Álvaro is married, but fools around with any women who catch his eye. One of them Angélica, recently got dumped after becoming too clingy. She calls him after taking a cocktail of pills. Catalina Guerra, who plays Angélica, offers a brief tit-slip as she turns over.
• Brief nudity, but quite sexy - it's Álvaro again, this time with a colleague at office, Eli. All goes well, until he gets distracted by a phone call and leaves poor Eli high and dry. He suspects his wife of having an affair with her best friend from work, and uses a contact to find the person's name. After knowing the name, he now wants to locate his address. Eli is played by 'mamacita-caliente' Carolina Oliva.
• Another brief tit-slip as Álvaro seems unstoppable - this time with one of his wife's female friends from work, Patricia, asking her if he knows the guy. The visibly peeved Patricia is played by Berta Lasala.

 

Compilation 2: María Izquierdo and Javiera Díaz de Valdés



Scene Guide:

• This is also the funniest section of the film, that played by director Quercia himself, and María Izquierdo - both excellent actors, as husband-wife duo Emilio and Maca. Emilio hasn't had any 'action' for a while as wife Maca finds it extremely painful. She heeds a friend's advice and takes a warm bath when Emilio enters. She tries to cheer him up with some playing, but the desperate guy couldn't control himself. She tells him off for jumping into the bath wearing shoes, and asks him to mind her newly waxed floor on his way out.
• No nudity, but funny - of Maca with a gynaecologist - he tells her what we could all figure out after watching the scene, that there's nothing really wrong with her vagina.
• Niece Susan arrives from France on holiday. Emilio is surprised to see she'd grown into a stunning young woman - she'd had a crush on him as a teenager. Made from at least five 'very visual' scenes that requires little description. We see young Susan has matured into one delightful prick-tease of a lady. Susan is played by 'chilenita-guapa' Javiera Díaz de Valdés - she may not be a great actress, but manages to corrupt us all the same with that playful smile and dare I say, cute but perky bosoms..! ;-)

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Isidora Urrejola in "Drama" [2010 Chile]

Chilean director Matias Lira's debut feature, "Drama" is set in a drama school, where the students are encouraged to adapt the 'Artaud' method of acting by their professor - experiencing life to the full, so that they could free themselves and 'become' the characters they're trying to portray.

Three ambitious students - close friends, Mateo, Maria, and Angel, decide to do exactly that. Mateo and Maria are lovers, while Angel's just discovering his homosexuality. Things however spiral out of control as they take their experiences to new extremes. The film also delves into Mateo's emotional scars from childhood - his actress-mother's infidelity and the father's indifference.

The screenplay and direction is pretty good, and includes some memorable dialogues too - a fine feat considering this is Lira's debut, as is the impressive debut of the lead actress playing Maria, a drama student in real life too, chiquita muy hermosa Isidora Urrejola. Her big sister Fernanda Urrejola plays Mateo's mother. These scenes were cut from the general release DVD - I hope there's a director's cut in the offing - considering some (only some) untidy edits in this release, and the fact that some footage was not at all used, but shown passingly in the DVD extras.

Segement 1:
A compilation of two scenes - the first is after a class in the school toilet (apparently unisex!) as Mateo marks his territory around Maria. The second is of Maria and Mateo spending the night together at his house. Angel drops by in the morning, and when the father enters the room and sees all three in bed together, he remarks, "If you start with a threesome, you'll end up alone, my son..."







Segment 2:
Made of three scenes - first is of fellow classmate Soledad trying to impress Mateo after he asks her to be in his forthcoming sketch. Maria isn't impressed - she even warns her he couldn't 'get it up'. Soledad is played by the rather dishy Jocelyn Anfossy. The second scene is Mateo remembering the last time he saw his mother (Fernanda Urrejola) - on the stage before she and her lover/co-star are taken away by the junta. He performs the same play she was enacting - Romeo and Juliet. The last scene is of Maria walking into a place where Mateo and Soledad are having sex. Even after noticing, Mateo orders Soleded not to stop - the purpose - the more Maria is made to feel jealous, the more 'complete' the actor he's become.







Segment 3:
Made up of two scenes - first is when Maria decides to become a prostitute - to evoke similar jealousy from Mateo. She finds Max, a rich punter who proves more than a match for Mateo. When a frustrated Mateo calls Maria a whore, Max gives him a piece of worldly advice, "Women are like guitars - they respond the way they're struck". The second scene is the more dramatic of the two - at Max's party, where she get's gang-banged (implied) while a desperate Mateo tries to stop her. She asks a shocked Mateo, "Well, did I do it right this time..?"





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