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 TIM MILFULL takes a look at some of the delicious cinematic fare on display as part of the HOLA MEXICO FILM FESTIVAL 2007.
If the names Alejandro González Iñárritu or Guillermo del Toro mean anything to you, then you’re probably one of the growing legion of fans of Mexican cinema. Sure, some of you will recognise del Toro as the author titles like Hellboy – its sequel looms in 2008 – Mimic and Blade Ii, but the very busy Mexican is also well-known for home-grown product like Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone. Iñárritu, of course, almost single-handedly lifted the standard of Mexican cinema – and art house film, in general – with films including Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel.
The good news, thanks to directors like these, is that Mexican cinema is alive and flourishing, and the Hola Mexico Film Festival, travelling around Australia in the next few months, roundly celebrates the region’s films, offering a taste of what has come before, along with an exciting taste of what Mexico’s new filmmakers are bringing to the screen. I had a tantalising glimpse over the weekend at the promise of the programme, and was impressed. 1973 is an edgy, stylised documentary from director Antonino Isordia, who looks at the lives of three very different people born in that year – Rodolfo Escogido tells a story of student activism that dramatically changed the lives of people in his circle and took him close to changing national politics; while María Fernanda Ramos Macín confesses the effects her drug addiction had on her family and lover, and the paraplegia that came in the wake of one terrible outburst. But the most astonishing chapter in this documentary is that of Alejandro Cota, who over the course of four years, relates the rationale behind his choice to murder his family. Rarely do we gain such insight into the madness of others. La Sangre Iluminada, (Enlightened Blood) the second film from writer-director Iván Ávila Dueñas has me thinking four days after my first viewing – I’m still not sure what was going on. Such is the skill of Dueñas however – unfolding the film at a delicate and sophisticated pace – that its tale of shared bodies and wandering souls suffers little in the watching. Those looking for relief from the demands of art house should consider some Mexican romantic comedy in Tired Of Kissing Frogs. The title refers to a matchmaking website that Martha (Ana Serradilla) turns to after catching out her philandering boyfriend. This surprisingly refreshing comedy had some very funny moments; in particular, a hilarious supporting performance by Mόnica Huarte, who could very well have been cloned from Sandra Bullock. I didn’t get a chance to preview El Violin, the debut feature of director Francisco Vargas, but from all reports this award-winning film adapted from a short is excellent, and I’ll be looking forward to catching it on the night. Vargas tells the story of a one-armed violin player, whose performances in front of an army captain may just save his village, which is under threat when the military takes on guerrilla forces during the peasant revolts of the seventies. And of course, if you haven’t savoured the work of Iñárritu or del Toro, the festival offers a chance to see some of their work on the big screen with sessions of Amores Perros and Cronos. The former – a modern-day tragedy of Shakesperean proportions – features one of the early performances of heartthrob Gael García Bernal; while the latter film shows hints of the dark imagination of the man who brought us Pan’s Labyrinth. The HOLA MEXICO FILM FESTIVAL 2007 screens at Palace Centro Cinemas November 27 to December 5 For more details about the films and the programme, check out www.holamexicoff.com
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