Two decades on from the star-making one-two punch of “Amores Perros” and “Y Tu Mamá También” Gael García Bernal’s sophomore directorial film “Chicuarotes” exists very much in the shadow of those two modern Mexican classics. And while measuring his well-intentioned, patchily engaging and largely well-crafted new film against such competition might seem unfair, in truth it’s unavoidable: “Chicuarotes” seems to actively court the comparison, with its rambunctious, street-level story of a volatile teenager flirting with criminality as he tries to bootstrap himself, his girlfriend and his best friend/sidekick/whipping boy out of their hardscrabble circumstances in the slums of Mexico City.
But where Iñarritú and Cuarón’s films also dealt in socially-aware, dramatically dissonant portraits of young Mexicans on the cusp of manhood, they both emitted an infectious, buoyant energy. Here, despite a handful of inspired moments and a rough-hewn but dynamic presentation — due largely to Dp Juan Pablo Ramirez’ lively,...
But where Iñarritú and Cuarón’s films also dealt in socially-aware, dramatically dissonant portraits of young Mexicans on the cusp of manhood, they both emitted an infectious, buoyant energy. Here, despite a handful of inspired moments and a rough-hewn but dynamic presentation — due largely to Dp Juan Pablo Ramirez’ lively,...
- 10/24/2019
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
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