Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival, this movie is both an homage to American Westerns and an exploration of the power of cinema / storytelling to transform a life. In Spanish with subtitles, the characters are drawn from life, and quite a difficult life at that. Set in the "driest place on earth", the community is not unhappy. There is lots of room for gentle comedy and young love. The camera turns away from actual violence, but not the story, which frankly addresses what goes on behind the scenes in the town set in a saltpetre desert for the young woman at the centre of the story. The movie was shot on location in an abandoned mining town, which only adds to the versimilitude.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Meg's Whirlwind Brain
11 May 2023
We saw this movie when it was selected as a WIFT Showcase finalist. It's hard to talk about a short film without giving anything away, but Maddy does an awesome job of giving full access to her character's mind but still leaving a surprise for the end. Beautifully written, hilariously performed, and achingly real.
Oh, the system tells me that this review is too short. Should I talk about the set, the lighting, the plot, the character development, all without giving anything away? No, I'll just say that now I want to see one of Maddy's stand up routines, or maybe she could get someone interested in a longer version of this film.
Oh, the system tells me that this review is too short. Should I talk about the set, the lighting, the plot, the character development, all without giving anything away? No, I'll just say that now I want to see one of Maddy's stand up routines, or maybe she could get someone interested in a longer version of this film.
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