"We Are Maripepa" is the first feature film by director Samuel Kishi and his producer Toiz Rodriguez, it was made in Guadalajara, México. It's about four teenage friends Alex, Moy, Bolter and Rafa, better known as the "Maripepa" an amateur punk-rock band rehearsing new songs. The viewer can watch the changes in each of them, Alex, our main character, who lives with his grandmother, discovers that she is more and more dependent on him, the situations of our characters are revealed and developed on film, Thus, the film shows important moments of their life and growth. This is a film made by way of "Doc-Fic" (as says Fernando Birri, EICTV director on films that combine documentary and fiction) in the neighborhood where the director grew up, with friends and neighbors and protagonists, bits and extras that play themselves. The result is a story told in a simple and humorous way, with which many can identify and most importantly of all: can be moved by the film. The film never betrays it's own style: docudrama, honest, simple, funny and "punk-rock", either decreases or stops the dramatic progression rate. The result is a fun and memorable film with cinematic achievements worth mentioning: We Are Maripepa borders between fiction and reality, in this sense, the entire film (becoming very noticeable in some specific scenes) is making both converge, making form and substance join to impact the viewer and give a great film aesthetic experience. This achievement can be written very simply, but for this to work, you need a constant work with all the elements, from production, photography and, of course, the actors, so that the camera does not cause false reactions in people when recording. It's a film that does not force reality but portrays it and uses it for it's own advantage. It portrays the Mexican middle class, surrounds his characters in a context in which they interact and live their direct consequences, with all honesty, without exaggeration. It is noticeable that filmmakers are not apart of the context of the story they are telling, something that current Mexican cinema has as a big trouble, is not a failure in We Are Maripepa. The film also has another achievement: a story with which many can identify with, generates emotions, without being formal, solemn and stoic, while preserving the artistic quality of its realization. That is, it is not a pretentious film, as unfortunately we are used to seeing in our Mexican cinema, so, this, naturally, makes many people enjoy it. The dialogue is completely natural, colloquialisms, characters using part of their common way of speaking, there is no scandal or morbid look at it. Mexican films have the nasty habit of using rudeness with morbid and vulgar comic simplicity, We Are Maripepa uses this kind of dialogue to tell the story as if we were spectators of reality, it does in a neutral manner, without messing with stilted performances or inquisitive directing. We Are Maripepa is a film that has the great virtue that it is serious about itself, only to the point at which the viewer will enjoy it. That is, it is a film with an alternative filmmaking, story, structure and wants to find a new and personal way of producing and directing. It has important achievements in this sense, but the film never stops thinking about it's audience and tells a fun emotional story with great quality. It is a highly recommended Mexican film that everyone can see and enjoy, made outside Mexico's capitol, unpretentious and with all honesty of the authors, which will surely resonate with the audience, which is rare in Mexican film these days, which are increasingly in an erroneous search for reality, ending up in false, boring and distant films. It's a great debut and I hope that Samuel Kishi makes a second movie soon, I think the audience, after seeing the film, would also like that.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Enemigos íntimos
(2008)
Piece of garbage, by one of the worst and luckiest, Mexican filmmakers.
11 April 2011
Garbage.
Pretentious, terribly acted, terribly photographed, terribly directed, terrible movie.
As a matter of fact, this movie doesn't deserve more than what was already written. In fact I am only writing more lines, in order to make the minimum required by IMDb, only to warn the people who might read this to avoid the movie, and the responsible to read a real opinion, of a real person who goes to the movies, and not the opinion of the people, friends, who give them money to make them.
Avoid it, like dysentery.
Pretentious, terribly acted, terribly photographed, terribly directed, terrible movie.
As a matter of fact, this movie doesn't deserve more than what was already written. In fact I am only writing more lines, in order to make the minimum required by IMDb, only to warn the people who might read this to avoid the movie, and the responsible to read a real opinion, of a real person who goes to the movies, and not the opinion of the people, friends, who give them money to make them.
Avoid it, like dysentery.
Beautiful Short Documentary
4 July 2010
"Los Días Cortos de los Años Largos" is a Short Documentary produced, directed, photographed mostly by Monterrey film-maker Luis Garza and edited by his fianceé Claudia Valenzuela.
There are films that you can tell that were made with a lot of heart just by looking seconds of it and this is one example of that. It is clear that this film was made with a lot of work, a very short amount of money and a clear intention of the author of telling something that was very important to him.
This film subject is, like the title poetically says, a portrait of our old people last days in life locked inside a retirement home. We hear their stories and we watch very beautifully filmed images in the odd, but perfectly suitable choice of super 8 mm.
The combination gives an aesthetic and sentimental experience to the spectator that is really worth feeling. The film's structure is not a classical one, but it is perfectly suitable for a good short film.
This is a very good movie with an interesting aesthetic, and even a bit of indie experimentation. The couple made a very beautiful shortie doc flick.
There are films that you can tell that were made with a lot of heart just by looking seconds of it and this is one example of that. It is clear that this film was made with a lot of work, a very short amount of money and a clear intention of the author of telling something that was very important to him.
This film subject is, like the title poetically says, a portrait of our old people last days in life locked inside a retirement home. We hear their stories and we watch very beautifully filmed images in the odd, but perfectly suitable choice of super 8 mm.
The combination gives an aesthetic and sentimental experience to the spectator that is really worth feeling. The film's structure is not a classical one, but it is perfectly suitable for a good short film.
This is a very good movie with an interesting aesthetic, and even a bit of indie experimentation. The couple made a very beautiful shortie doc flick.
Great and very original comedy
26 June 2008
While attending to the Guadalajara Film Festival I could catch up with this film made in the CCC.
It's a really really funny comedy, very well written, finely directed, finely photographed, finely made and with a very original, even innovative way of telling the story.
It's the proof that Mexican filmmakers are good, and that there is more talent than we can see, or they let us to see. I hope that this film gets proper distribution because it's a very good option for the Mexican public to see.
Congratulations for it, and i hope to see more from this director, producers and screenwriters.
It's a really really funny comedy, very well written, finely directed, finely photographed, finely made and with a very original, even innovative way of telling the story.
It's the proof that Mexican filmmakers are good, and that there is more talent than we can see, or they let us to see. I hope that this film gets proper distribution because it's a very good option for the Mexican public to see.
Congratulations for it, and i hope to see more from this director, producers and screenwriters.
Más allá de mí
(2008)
A great improvement over the last one. Though, not genuine film-making yet.
30 May 2008
While attending to the Guadalajara Film Festival screenings i could catch up with this Mexican independent movie made in Monterrey that had me with a feeling of suspense and curiosity.
Few years before, i attended the screening of the previous film by the same director, Jesus Mario Lozano, "Así" at the Monterrey Film Festival. I have to admit that when i saw that movie, i felt that i'd just watch the worst, most pretentious, plain and failed movie in my life. And i still feel that way about it. That's why i was so skeptical about "Más Allá de Mí".
For my good surprise, it wasn't that bad at all. Though it stills lacks of film knowledge and even mastering of the technique, we can see the director's evolution. It's a very good example of acting direction, production design, photography, and how to get a film "acceptably" made with a very low budget by using the medium economy. And all that is very admirable.
Even it still is very pretentious it can be understood and watchable. The film deals with the lives of youngsters who reside in Monterrey and live together, they have to give house to a couple from another state that is hiding from the family of her, because she is pregnant. The focus on the actions is on the human relationships between them, and in very second grounds, their environment: things happen within them, and in the society and country where they live. Just like in real life.
The main problem with the film is precisely the idea that characterizes it. "Making a point of view of things just like in real life". That won't work on films, because they are not real life. Real life is boring, and one has to keep the audience emotionally entertained in order to send the expresivity and the message. And it has a lot of unnecessary nudity.
It's a watchable film, with very good points and a few good moments, though still very pretentious. Watch it if you must. But we can see a director who is learning and little by little making himself a true professional.
In the screening Q and A, there was a polemic discussion about the quality of the film that is not very important, but the director said that people who didn't like "Así" would like "Más Allá de Mí", perhaps he was right about me, but is not so different, because this film still has his style in it.
I hope to see him refining his method, shaping it and changing it, and i hope to see his next film very soon, i think that i won't be disappointed either. I only hope that he truly takes all the critics that he gets and uses them for his own artistic benefit. Very good improvement!
-Mau-
Few years before, i attended the screening of the previous film by the same director, Jesus Mario Lozano, "Así" at the Monterrey Film Festival. I have to admit that when i saw that movie, i felt that i'd just watch the worst, most pretentious, plain and failed movie in my life. And i still feel that way about it. That's why i was so skeptical about "Más Allá de Mí".
For my good surprise, it wasn't that bad at all. Though it stills lacks of film knowledge and even mastering of the technique, we can see the director's evolution. It's a very good example of acting direction, production design, photography, and how to get a film "acceptably" made with a very low budget by using the medium economy. And all that is very admirable.
Even it still is very pretentious it can be understood and watchable. The film deals with the lives of youngsters who reside in Monterrey and live together, they have to give house to a couple from another state that is hiding from the family of her, because she is pregnant. The focus on the actions is on the human relationships between them, and in very second grounds, their environment: things happen within them, and in the society and country where they live. Just like in real life.
The main problem with the film is precisely the idea that characterizes it. "Making a point of view of things just like in real life". That won't work on films, because they are not real life. Real life is boring, and one has to keep the audience emotionally entertained in order to send the expresivity and the message. And it has a lot of unnecessary nudity.
It's a watchable film, with very good points and a few good moments, though still very pretentious. Watch it if you must. But we can see a director who is learning and little by little making himself a true professional.
In the screening Q and A, there was a polemic discussion about the quality of the film that is not very important, but the director said that people who didn't like "Así" would like "Más Allá de Mí", perhaps he was right about me, but is not so different, because this film still has his style in it.
I hope to see him refining his method, shaping it and changing it, and i hope to see his next film very soon, i think that i won't be disappointed either. I only hope that he truly takes all the critics that he gets and uses them for his own artistic benefit. Very good improvement!
-Mau-
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