This is one of the most pretentious of the many pretentious art movies I've seen. Why do I see so many? It's become, for me, almost like watching unintentionally funny movies. I like to see just how self-enamored the directors of these things can get.
So, yes. The Oscar may win for funniest bad movie, but this might win for most precious piece of artistic excess ever committed. Oh, some other directors have tried-- Tarkovsky with his five minute scenes of window curtains blowing in the wind; Jean Rollin with his stunning depictions of people walking... and... we're... walking; even one of my favorite directors, Pasolini, who also has some incredibly endless walking scenes to his credit.
This one at least has a lot of variety in its boring scenes. That may partly be because it's based on three different short stories, but I think it takes a singular kind of twisted genius to wring boredom out of so many different types of scenes and three different plot lines within the space of a mere 90 minutes. And I'm not talking about curtains blowing in the wind or ascetics trudging through b&w deserts here, folks. There are sex scenes, bloody ghosts, violent killings, even fireworks. literally. Fireworks. And still I had trouble watching this movie for more than ten minutes at a time without falling asleep.
So this director's name-- Rochin-- must be whispered in the reverent tones generally reserved for such greats as Ed Wood.
Oh, according to the notes accompanying this movie, it shows 'the modernization of Mexico.' I was wrong, then. I thought it showed directors how to put viewers to sleep.
So, yes. The Oscar may win for funniest bad movie, but this might win for most precious piece of artistic excess ever committed. Oh, some other directors have tried-- Tarkovsky with his five minute scenes of window curtains blowing in the wind; Jean Rollin with his stunning depictions of people walking... and... we're... walking; even one of my favorite directors, Pasolini, who also has some incredibly endless walking scenes to his credit.
This one at least has a lot of variety in its boring scenes. That may partly be because it's based on three different short stories, but I think it takes a singular kind of twisted genius to wring boredom out of so many different types of scenes and three different plot lines within the space of a mere 90 minutes. And I'm not talking about curtains blowing in the wind or ascetics trudging through b&w deserts here, folks. There are sex scenes, bloody ghosts, violent killings, even fireworks. literally. Fireworks. And still I had trouble watching this movie for more than ten minutes at a time without falling asleep.
So this director's name-- Rochin-- must be whispered in the reverent tones generally reserved for such greats as Ed Wood.
Oh, according to the notes accompanying this movie, it shows 'the modernization of Mexico.' I was wrong, then. I thought it showed directors how to put viewers to sleep.
