Temporada de Patos: Schmuck squeezin'

I saw this film because the newspaper said "just hanging out has never been so much fun", so I expected sort a Clerks-ish thing, though, ya know, less pretentous and intellectually half-assed, the way Kevin "I'm a big jack-ass" Smith tends to be. And in some ways, that's indeed what it was, but there were a lot of suprises, too. I was struck by how aloof all the characters were to one another. I guess it's how young most of them were (14, 16), that their M.O. was to always appear cool. Also, I think maybe it's a Mexico City thing. I'm probably off-base here, but I get the sense that city kids in a lot of other countries try to grow up as quickly as possible, so they are constantly struggling to be in control, and as a result are often frustrated with the results. Anyway, it made for a film of characters musing to the room, and not really being recieved by anyone in the room. At least at first. When they began to trust one another more, and really coalesce, it wasn't so much of a relief, as it was an exciting point to reach.

The intercuts were very exciting, when characters would tell stories and we'd see what images those stories evoked in their own minds. That's exactly why film is a wonderful medium. Also, these sequences were exciting because of the tension it created. You aren't sure where the story is going, and there's this undercurrent of kinetic energy, so you're almost waiting for the sudden, violent cut that shocks you. An "oh shit" moment, but one never came, which I was really glad about both because I wanted the movie to be lighter than that, and alos because it's obvious, and therefor over-used, and it's manipulative in an empty way. Instead, the sequences had heart to them. The pizzaman's story, especially, was almost tear inducing because of it's beauty and it's openess. When a filmmaker lets a sequence breathe so easily, you can be sure the filmmaker is a very strong one.

I totally called the weed brownies. And the Beatles reference. If Stella had been in the theatre with me, she would have caught it even sooner.