I am a huge David Lynch fan and Mulholland Drive is one of my favorite films from him. This movie reminded of Mulholland Drive. It was surreal putting the audience in this beautiful nightmare from start to finish and I am glad I was apart of that experience.
Director Jesus Mangana Vazquez brings us into this dreary situation, but its told in a beautiful, strange setting that its really sticks with you when it is done. Without spoiling anything, this revolves around Tonatiuh and Maria; a couple that is shown happy at one point and at each other’s throats the next. They get into a car accident and Tonatiuh is placed in a coma. Falling in and out of a daze, Tonatiuh looks at a nurse named Alice and incorporates her into his dreams of him and Maria replacing her with Alice. This deals with loss and letting go of your loved ones when there is no more to be loved. With striking visuals, a non-linear story and great acting, we are given a hazy collection of memories, which can resemble a dream since we only remember certain things when are dreaming. Some of the dialogue can be cheesy and take you out of the moment slightly, but it didn’t dampen my experience. This is all I will say about this movie because you should go in blind. The director puts a unique pulse on something I haven’t seen or been surprised at in a long time.
All of the actors do a fantastic job and really sell the idea that each scene could be real or could be fantasy. The chemistry between all three felt like I was watching a real love triangle and they all had genuine feelings for one another. The cinematography was gorgeous ranging from dark, rich colors to the drowned out black and white really showing how much is worn out emotionally between this couple. There were a few green screen shots that looked a tad fake, but it was still gorgeous. If it were a definite dream scene, the bright glow would be on the outer rim of the scene and really capture the look of a bright, hazy dream. The visuals were definitely a nice side dish to this unique story. The pace of this is dead on. It’s not even an hour and a half (86 min) and copulates every second with intrigue. I was glued from the first moment it started.
Overall, this is a beautiful nightmare I couldn’t wake up from as the director holds you by the throat and never lets go with surreal imagery. It’s one of my favorite films from the festival. 9/10
(Review by Chase Lee
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