In this day and age, it is easy for one to become so busy or wrapped up in their life that they may not always think of the impoverished people in the world. This is a common shame, for those people are all important, just as we. They should be thought of much more often! I have just been fortunate enough to have taken the time to watch the movie Entre Nos. I must say, this a film that everyone should stop and see! Entre Nos truly opened my eyes to a life that I have been blind to. As if walking like a zombie on the streets, I did not see the woes of poverty. Although there was little dialogue and a lack of plot, there still remained substance to the film. The touching, and true, story of the film was based on the life of Paola Mendoza. Mendoza's honest script and clever directing produced a movie that almost made me cry! That's right: Paola Mendoza wrote, directed, and starred in her film Entre Nos. This is one amazing Colombian woman, and her tale is no less extraordinary than her accomplishments. For in Entre Nos, the truth is the plot and that spoke volumes.
The 2009 film Entre Nos was written, directed, and starred Paola Mendoza. It is a brilliant película dramática that shows audiences the hardships of a life of poverty. Set and filmed on the streets of New York, Entre Nos reveals the secret to survival. Mendoza really captured the importance of family, her family, on film. I was fascinated by watching Mendoza portray her mother, Mariana, since she was really Andrea, Mariana's daughter, in real life. What a Borges-ian spin to the story! This allowed me to try to look at her story from both point of views, that of her mother and her own. The strength in the family's relationship is clearly exhibited throughout this entire film! It was inspiring to see! I tried to imagine what my family would be like in Mendoza's situation. I can only hope we would be as strong and able for each other! Nonetheless, Mendoza's theme of love, family, and endurance was made more powerful by her understanding and first-hand account of her experience. These combined, affected me greatly as a viewer.
I would first like to praise Mendoza and the other director/screenwriter, Gloria La Morte, on their portrayal of the film's setting. Their choice of barrenness and hard concrete scenery created a bleak atmosphere. As the family slept on newspapers on the cold, dark subway stairs, I felt as though I were next to them. With this illusion of vulnerability, I felt a closeness with the characters. It pained me to see such a struggle and heartache. Both the interior life and the outer world the director portrayed created a perception of sorrow. The interior life of the home was made with darker lighting and provided a cozier, safe atmosphere. There was not much to the interior but it was shades of gray, colorless. I feel that this gave the home life a look of pain and sorrow, like the emotions the characters were having. The home life always looked like it was missing something, something happy. The outer world was created with bright, sunny lighting yet bare, colorless surroundings. There was nothing but pavement, trash, and buildings. Well, not as much trash as one would think. The outer world was gray as well, yet the director put in intentional spots of color! For instance, the scene where Mariana is sitting outside the new apartment and the doors beside either side of her were colored a bright, emerald green. It was as if the director was trying to show the light of hope that seemed to keep Mariana going. Even though Mariana had times when she got really sad, she still kept going for her kids. I believe that is what the random, bright colors represent in the film. There was a certain emptiness to the home life that changed by the end of the movie, as Mariana's situation brightened with their surroundings. To see that day actually come was actually satisfying!
After recognizing the depth to the surroundings, I must talk about the story itself! Paola Mendoza, Sebastian Villada, and Laura Montana gave compelling performances portraying Mendoza's past through the eyes of her mother, Mariana. The film takes place when their small Latin American family had just moved to the United States and was deserted by the father and liar/cheater of a husband. The mother, Mariana, is forced to find work and support her two children in a world that can't even communicate with her. It was an excellent choice to have the entire film in Spanish, with intermittent conversations carried out in two languages. The effect of the conversations carried out in two languages at once was one of confusion. I felt that this was to show the barrier that lies in communication between different nationalities. This barrier also represents the barrier that is between Mariana in poverty and the life she could have if she were home in Colombia or if she were an English-speaking American. That would be hard: to be starving and not be able tell someone who could help! The tight family of three overcomes grave poverty by sticking together, keeping up hope, and working hard, selflessly for the ones they love. Truly inspiring!
I would like to recommend this film, Entre Nos, to anyone and everyone! I believe that this story of hope, perseverance, the bonds of family, and love should be shared with everyone in one's life. Of course, the fact that it is all in Spanish may make one shy to view it. Let it not! One should witness this struggle and triumph over poverty, if they have not yet experienced it themselves! It is good for your soul. Broaden your horizons, even though it takes place on your own doorstep everyday!
2 out of 3 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink