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mattinja
Reviews
Los Oriyinales (2017)
Lost opportunity...
As a Colombian living abroad, I often seek movies that allow me to connect with my cultural roots. I came across this film on a streaming platform and decided to give it a chance.
While the film showcases impressive aesthetics, with visually appealing scenes and locations that highlight the beauty of the city, I was ultimately disappointed by the lack of an engaging story. The narrative relied heavily on Colombian clichés and exaggerated characters without offering a cohesive or meaningful experience.
The film introduces a guide, but unfortunately, their character doesn't contribute any significant insights or genuine motivation for their performance. Several unrelated stories unfold throughout the movie: a financially struggling university student trying to impress a pretentious and gullible individual, another person portraying a fake wealthy persona teetering on the edge of financial failure, someone else attempting to depict an average middle-class lifestyle while secretly having a dark secret, a successful businessperson contrasting with a unique employee from a different region, and an individual campaigning for student representative in a rough school. Additionally, there's a character who plays the role of an unfaithful, corrupt leader.
While the actors deliver commendable performances, they couldn't overcome the shortcomings of the underdeveloped characters and weak storytelling. It is evident that they made the most of the material they were given. However, the film would have greatly benefited from stronger storytelling. Although it managed to have a few humorous moments, I found myself disengaged from the characters, and the unrelated storylines failed to make a significant impact. It was a missed opportunity to present Colombian identity with a compelling narrative and purpose. Although the characters at the center of the stories are predominantly female, the film lacked positive messages, character growth, or any sense of redemption. It felt as if nothing substantial happened by the end. While some may argue that the director intended to create a sequel, it doesn't justify the lack of substance in this installment.
Yang guan dao (2018)
Don't waste your time
I have just wasted my time watching this poorly developed story. I won't go into details but I watched it until the end expecting that it might somehow improve at somepoint but it failed miserably until the end. This poor production doesn't merit anybody's time. Don't watch it.
Boleto al paraíso (2010)
very disappointing
The movie attempts to expose the socioeconomic environment of Cuba following the recent financial crisis resulting from the collapse of Castro's communist dream. While highlighting the poverty, the movie came across as nihilistic and its portrayal of the modern youth. The characters in the movie were voluntarily infecting themselves with AIDS virus as an escape from desperate conditions. The movie offers no message of hope nor does it show available resources that might offer an alternative to those seeking to get out of the streets. Considering the dire economic conditions obscuring most of Latin America, it is the film's makers duty to not only expose such conditions but to leave a message of hope to the audience regardless of how tragic the plot might be. This movie fails in the latter. The only thing it has managed to illustrate with explicit and gratuitous sexuality is the stupidity and self-destructiveness of Latin American youth living in poverty. Most reprehensibly it shows that these people have no other option but to accept the impasse of their destinies.