By 
“BROKEN” ***
Life is tough and sometimes unbearable, depending the occasion and the phase one’s going through. In childhood that could be even worse, when there are symptoms of loneliness. There’s a sense of loss in this striking coming of age story about Skunk, a 11 year-old girl with diabetes, trying to figure out the harsh facts life’s been giving her.
Despite all that, she remains strong to her dreams, while through the sad incidents the young protagonist experiences, British director Rufus Norris explores a load of issues, overwhelming the plot, but satisfying with the charisma of Skunk, and determined to save the little one. Although, told with respectful drama, the screenplay has no mercy on the characters, putting on their path tragedy after tragedy. Through the eyes of Skunk, the world seems to collapse among her problematic neighborhood, the absence of her mother, a brutal dispute between two men, her father who’s never around enough, and the tempestuous relationship she develops with a few other people, including her teacher and a boy, whom she hangs out with and makes her doubt her sexuality. She is experiencing all sorts of feelings on her own, in the process of growing up, while witnessing the adults in despair. Fine performances and the hope the little one carries, makes it a coherent drama. (Opens tomorrow at Quad Cinema, NYC)
In the Mexican drama “THE TEARS” the camera is always pointing to the natural light, as a metaphor for what the characters are in search of. Morning rises and a kid walks around the messy house, tries to reanimate his mother and communicate with the brother who came home after long days partying. But all his efforts are in vain. They all share the same grieving, as the father is not around them anymore. That aspect in never really explained in Pablo Delgado Sanchez’s delicate film about a family coping through hard times, but that isn’t the most important; what counts is the transformation, both the camera in search of light, and the narrative trying to approach them, that makes the film’s most attractive element. It’s up to the older son to claim his spot as the man of the house, when he takes the youngster out on a camp trip. They start recognizing their weakness, their similarity and their need to overcome. That step, will bring relief once they note they need each other in order to survive. (Playing July 18th and 20th at LatinBeat, Film Society Lincoln Center)
Comments