Educational Media Reviews Online

If you are addicted to high-action movies with intricate plots, then this movie is not for you. This is a film about an ordinary family that is at a crossroads. Their crisis is not newsworthy: the husband was unfaithful. They do not handle the situation with high drama, screaming fights, or plots of revenge. Contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, that is not how real families deal with such a situation.

This is a quiet film. Literally. Most of the film has no dialogue. You watch these ordinary people continue with their ordinary lives doing ordinary things like cooking meals or going for a swim. Yet, you are left with the impression that their crisis is never far from their minds. What should they do? How should they handle it? By the end of the film, a decision has been made. Or has it?

I would not recommend this film for children of any age. The lack of action and lack of dialogue, I believe, would make it difficult to hold their attention. The dialogue is in Spanish with English subtitles. If, like myself, you depend on those subtitles, then you must pay close attention so that you do not miss the rare dialogue when it comes. I found it difficult to keep my mind from wandering while watching several minutes of one of the characters quietly mopping a floor, for instance.

This film reminds us that real life, for most people, is not high drama. Many problems do not have clean, neat solutions because they involve human emotions. For those who enjoy such introspection, this is a good film.

Awards:
Official Selection at Portland International Film Festival

Published and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Anyone can use these reviews, so long as they comply with the terms of the license.