NEW YORK -- Francis Ford Coppola once opined that in the future, cinema would be transformed by the fact that everybody on the planet would have their own camera and make their own movies.
Maybe so, but the result would be a lot of aimless, self-indulgent films on the order of Carlos Marcovich's pseudo-documentary, "Who the Hell Is Juliette?" Showcased at the Toronto, Telluride and Sundance festivals, it is receiving an exclusive theatrical release at New York's Cinema Village.
This shapeless cinematic exercise centers on two women: the title character, a 16-year-old Cuban girl living in Havana, and Fabiola, a beautiful Mexican model. Juliette is a tough-talking, sexy teenager who has already spent time as a prostitute, catering to tourists. Juliette's father abandoned the family when she was young, and her mother committed suicide shortly thereafter by self-immolation, leaving the young girl to be brought up by her grandmother and various relatives.
Juliette's life opens up when she is cast (by Marcovich himself) as Fabiola's sister in a music video. Fabiola's life is much more upbeat, centering on video fashion shoots in Latin America and New York. The two bond, and their parallel lives are the focus of this freely associative film.
Marcovich employs a nonlinear style, intermingling interviews with his two subjects with comments from various friends and relatives, including Juliette's long-lost father, who naturally has his own side of the story to tell. Also included are excerpts from Fabiola's videos, scenes of various fashion shows and Mexican television soap operas, and a segment depicting actress Salma Hayek making the publicity rounds.
This alternately jokey and serious effort has its moments, mainly thanks to Juliette's spunky and effervescent personality. A true survivor, she faces down the camera and the filmmaker with a humorous defiance, at one point commenting that she's sure audience members will be leaving the theater in droves. Although that may be overstating it, "Who the Hell Is Juliette?" is a question not many will feel a burning desire to have answered.
WHO THE HELL IS JULIETTE?
Kino International
Credits: Director-producer-cinematographer-editor-story: Carlos Marcovich; Dramatic structure: Carlos Cuaron. Cast: Yuliet Ortega, Fabiola Quiroz, Oneida Ramirez, Jorge Quiroz, Obdulia Fuentes. No MPAA rating. Running time -- 91 minutes. Color/stereo...
Maybe so, but the result would be a lot of aimless, self-indulgent films on the order of Carlos Marcovich's pseudo-documentary, "Who the Hell Is Juliette?" Showcased at the Toronto, Telluride and Sundance festivals, it is receiving an exclusive theatrical release at New York's Cinema Village.
This shapeless cinematic exercise centers on two women: the title character, a 16-year-old Cuban girl living in Havana, and Fabiola, a beautiful Mexican model. Juliette is a tough-talking, sexy teenager who has already spent time as a prostitute, catering to tourists. Juliette's father abandoned the family when she was young, and her mother committed suicide shortly thereafter by self-immolation, leaving the young girl to be brought up by her grandmother and various relatives.
Juliette's life opens up when she is cast (by Marcovich himself) as Fabiola's sister in a music video. Fabiola's life is much more upbeat, centering on video fashion shoots in Latin America and New York. The two bond, and their parallel lives are the focus of this freely associative film.
Marcovich employs a nonlinear style, intermingling interviews with his two subjects with comments from various friends and relatives, including Juliette's long-lost father, who naturally has his own side of the story to tell. Also included are excerpts from Fabiola's videos, scenes of various fashion shows and Mexican television soap operas, and a segment depicting actress Salma Hayek making the publicity rounds.
This alternately jokey and serious effort has its moments, mainly thanks to Juliette's spunky and effervescent personality. A true survivor, she faces down the camera and the filmmaker with a humorous defiance, at one point commenting that she's sure audience members will be leaving the theater in droves. Although that may be overstating it, "Who the Hell Is Juliette?" is a question not many will feel a burning desire to have answered.
WHO THE HELL IS JULIETTE?
Kino International
Credits: Director-producer-cinematographer-editor-story: Carlos Marcovich; Dramatic structure: Carlos Cuaron. Cast: Yuliet Ortega, Fabiola Quiroz, Oneida Ramirez, Jorge Quiroz, Obdulia Fuentes. No MPAA rating. Running time -- 91 minutes. Color/stereo...
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