Disillusioned 14-year-old Gonzalo shuts himself in his room in front of his computer. His mother, Ana, works in a humanitarian aid center, dealing with immigrants desperate for news of their families, who often are the victims of faraway political decisions.
Her Cuban immigrant friend, Carlos, a former pilot now eking out a living selling contraband Cuban cigars, is trying to recover a valuable painting left in Cuba by compatriot Fabre. Fabre is married to, and deeply in love with, former pop singer Laura, wheelchair-bound after an accident, who is sleeping with Carlos.
Manuel Martin Cuenca's sophomore feature is an uncomfortable if involving compendium of contemporary unhappiness. The well-written script is carried by a set of complex characters, tackling awkward emotional and moral issues in a balanced, perceptive and compassionate manner, yet seem unconcerned as coming across as merely depressing. Are second chances just the stuff of Hollywood movies? |
