Roman, the son of a prominent politician in Guanajuato, Mexico, blames his well connected father, Eugenio, for the death of his mother. He even keeps a 'gore' diary where he pastes newspaper clippings of the accident that took his mother's life. He is a rebellious teenager that will do harm to himself if not controlled. Unfortunately, his father, and stepmother, Eva, have more important things to do in their busy lives.
Maru, who goes to the same school as Roman, is an angry teen whose father has left his family when he went up North, leaving her mother, Helena, a nurse, to fend for herself in rearing the family. Maru is also a rebel at school. Attending a school show, she is wowed when she watches Roman perform his solo act in which he pretends hang himself, only to be taken down from the rope by a horrified teacher.
It is only natural these two misfits will gravitate toward each other when they realize they have so much in common. When they stage their disappearance, they do not take to the open road, instead, they stay on the rooftop of Roman's house, stealing supplies to hold them. It is almost inevitable the two youths will begin to form a bond that will prove impossible to break.
Their charade about being kidnapped serves Roman and Maru well. They are clearly having fun outwitting their parents. It is only Eva, the stepmother, who catches on to what the teens are doing, but since she stands to win nothing, she keeps her mouth shut. Having an opportunity to escape to Mexico City, they decide to go back to their hideaway. In doing so. The sexual attraction has been there all the time, but Maru is not ready to commit herself. When they finally engage in sex, it transforms their relationship. Unfortunately, their love affair is short lived, in part because of the fire arms the couple gathered to protect themselves will have fatal consequences.
This Mexican film surprised this viewer. Gerardo Naranjo, who wrote and directed this movie, shows great talent. His influences are clearly French. One can detect his admiration for Jean-Luc Godard, in the way he shaped the narrative. The teen couple at the center of the story want, in a way, to escape the families they are saddled with. In their view the adult world is something that cannot be grasped in their young minds. Loss guides their short lives; they resent the authority imposed on them. The duo does not want to conform to the rules society. This is clearly the result of coming from dysfunctional families, a problem for a lot of people in their age group. Escaping is the only thing left to them to make their point.
Mr. Naranjo directs with precision and gets surprising performances from Maria Deschamps and Juan Pablo De Santiago. The young actors are terrific, working in what appears to be an innate sense of what it was expected from much more experienced performers. Daniel Gimenez Cacho is seen as Eugenio and Rebecca Jones as Eva, the stepmother. Among the producers of the film are Gabriel Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, two actors that went to bigger and better things, something one can wish on Ms. Deschamps and Mr. De Santiago.
The film was shot in and around the city of Guanajuato, in the Bajio area of colonial Mexico, and photographed with style by Tobias Datum. Georges Delerue's musical score mixes well with themes from Albinoni, Mahler and other contemporary popular composers. Mr. Naranjo, whose "Drama/Mex" was another surprise, continues to distinguish himself with every new picture.
Maru, who goes to the same school as Roman, is an angry teen whose father has left his family when he went up North, leaving her mother, Helena, a nurse, to fend for herself in rearing the family. Maru is also a rebel at school. Attending a school show, she is wowed when she watches Roman perform his solo act in which he pretends hang himself, only to be taken down from the rope by a horrified teacher.
It is only natural these two misfits will gravitate toward each other when they realize they have so much in common. When they stage their disappearance, they do not take to the open road, instead, they stay on the rooftop of Roman's house, stealing supplies to hold them. It is almost inevitable the two youths will begin to form a bond that will prove impossible to break.
Their charade about being kidnapped serves Roman and Maru well. They are clearly having fun outwitting their parents. It is only Eva, the stepmother, who catches on to what the teens are doing, but since she stands to win nothing, she keeps her mouth shut. Having an opportunity to escape to Mexico City, they decide to go back to their hideaway. In doing so. The sexual attraction has been there all the time, but Maru is not ready to commit herself. When they finally engage in sex, it transforms their relationship. Unfortunately, their love affair is short lived, in part because of the fire arms the couple gathered to protect themselves will have fatal consequences.
This Mexican film surprised this viewer. Gerardo Naranjo, who wrote and directed this movie, shows great talent. His influences are clearly French. One can detect his admiration for Jean-Luc Godard, in the way he shaped the narrative. The teen couple at the center of the story want, in a way, to escape the families they are saddled with. In their view the adult world is something that cannot be grasped in their young minds. Loss guides their short lives; they resent the authority imposed on them. The duo does not want to conform to the rules society. This is clearly the result of coming from dysfunctional families, a problem for a lot of people in their age group. Escaping is the only thing left to them to make their point.
Mr. Naranjo directs with precision and gets surprising performances from Maria Deschamps and Juan Pablo De Santiago. The young actors are terrific, working in what appears to be an innate sense of what it was expected from much more experienced performers. Daniel Gimenez Cacho is seen as Eugenio and Rebecca Jones as Eva, the stepmother. Among the producers of the film are Gabriel Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, two actors that went to bigger and better things, something one can wish on Ms. Deschamps and Mr. De Santiago.
The film was shot in and around the city of Guanajuato, in the Bajio area of colonial Mexico, and photographed with style by Tobias Datum. Georges Delerue's musical score mixes well with themes from Albinoni, Mahler and other contemporary popular composers. Mr. Naranjo, whose "Drama/Mex" was another surprise, continues to distinguish himself with every new picture.