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The Romanoffs (2018)
A truly different series
As a guy, whose favorite series is Mad Men, I was expecting a dark, slow burn series, with each episode making you feel uncanny about people choices, and at the same time exploring the beauty of human complexity.
So, at first I had a hard time accepting this series that didn't please my expectations. But nonetheless, as I kept watching, I slowly realized, this was a truly different series from anything else I've ever watched. So, wether I liked or disliked an episode, I found charm in watching stories getting out of convention in a medium where most screenplays play safe and doesn't defy structure.
Every episode, as quirky and witty as it gets, kept me thinking long after it finished about what I had just watched, and I believe if any kind of story gets you to really question what you've seen, it is a truly successful story.
And while I would love to give it a perfect score, truth is, consistency is a quality this show lacks. While some episodes I would place as masterpieces, there are some others that just didn't work as well, and that is the price of being brave and experimenting with narratives.
I must say I'm charmed, and really hope it gets renewed for a second season. And if it doesn't, it's still fine because we already have a bunch of eight unique stories.
So, here is a paragraph long review for each episode:
The Violet Hour: The most accesible episode in the series, it's a fine introduction to the world of The Romanoffs, but I got a little turned off by characters acting at times too cartoonish. 8/10
The Royal We: This one gets the characters right, it is one of the most real portrayals of infidelity I've ever seen, not glamorous, and mostly quirky. And that borderline ridiculous twist at the end, I loved it. 9/10
House Of Special Purpose: There are so many things to love (or hate if you don't connect) about this episode, how you get into Christina Hendricks' character stress at all times, how everything is so out-of-logic, the atmosphere, the art direction, and that ending. 10/10
Expectation: This episode is so amazingly well written, every piece comes together for the greatest character study of the series. And I loved how the disorienting framing of the camera and the out of synch audio, worked together in order to make you feel as disconnected from reality as the main character. 10/10
Bright And High Circle: I kept wondering all through the episode what were the writers trying to tell me with this story so full of contradictions. Maybe the point was to make a commentary about stories, or maybe I'm overanalyzing. Anyways, this was for me the least engaging episode, but I still liked it. 7/10
Panorama: I've never watched a story so damaged by a miscast, the main character was such a plastic actor, that every scene intended to convey sexual tension, became an awkward to watch scene. And the story was fine, not the best written, but still fine. Camera work was amazing, songs for this episode were my favorite, Mexico City's portrayal was beautiful, every other actor was outstanding, and it had the best final scene of the series. 6.5/10 (that with a different cast for protagonist would be a 8.5/10)
End Of The Line: My favorite episode, first half was uncomfortable to watch because of not-knowing what they were doing in such a cold place, second half was uncomfortable because characters were amazingly fleshed out. Everything is in the right-wrong place this episode and I love it for it. 10/10
The One That Holds Everything: What a great finale, might not be at the height of some other episodes, but on one hand it felt real, on the other, it had the greatest twist of the whole series, and one of the best character studies. 9.5/10
Museo (2018)
A robbery as an excuse to tell a deeply human story
This is Alonso Ruízpalacios' second masterpiece, after the gorgeous Güeros (2014).
As a disclaimer, this is more of a road movie and character study, than a robbery movie, it doesn't glamorize neither the crime nor the criminals, and at the same time makes a commentary on Mexican society as a whole.
Instead of the usual narrative of "the robbery of the century", the screenplay focuses more on asking the question "What kind of character would do something like that?" and creates the complex, troubled, and idealistic Juan, who, tired of his family that makes him feel like he doesn't belong, decides to find himself by doing something nobody else would do, he drags his best friend Wilson who is more of a victim of his friend's ideals than a criminal. They get on the road, and it will test the friendship of both.
The cinematography is always top notch, camera acts as the thing that reflects Juan's unreliable point of view. Most of the time lacking depth of field, and distracting from the main film and contemplating parts of a world bigger than the plot, along with editing which is mostly slow, and other times experimental, it lets you see that the setting of the story is greater than the story itself.
The acting is also amazing, this is one of those movies enhanced by how much an actor tells you about the character without the need to say anything.
But where the movie shines the most is in the sound design, there are entire sequences in the film told only by sound, and other scenes that get a new context because of how the sounds are managed.
And everything comes together by Ruízpalacios' directing. Many times through the film it reminds you, you are watching a movie by braking continuity, cutting in the middle of a conversation, or with actual directing orders in the middle of a scene, but it actually works to make it more magical.
As a side note
This is a movie where setting matters, México is not only the place this movie happens, it is the only place it could happen. Not only because of the poorly managed security in the museum, the way road military operates, or the erratic way news travel, but because of the lack of identity in the characters, feeling as if the pieces were their right to steal because those too were taken.
Something I've always find lackluster in most Mexican films is how little they resemble Mexico, most of them usually work as a parody of the people and culture. But in both, Güeros and Museo, it is a celebration of the things that makes México an unique country, In neither a negative or positive view, but in one full of awareness. It is the first time in a long time that I've seen a film and actually said "this is a movie set in the same Mexico I live".