Angélica, Marisol Gómez-Mouakad, 2016
Saturday, April 8th, 2017, 21:45
Another glorious, glorious portrait on race and the roles women play—by pressure, by tradition, by choice. One of the underlying threads of Angélica, one which touched me deeply, is the mother-daughter relationship. As with Julieta, this is a troubled relationship, further complicated by racial issues (mom is white, daughter is mixed)—but this racial difference, apparently only a surface one, serves to symbolize a deeper divide, one most appropriately blamed on generational gaps, and—coming full circle—on the ways perception of darker skin has evolved (and has yet to evolve).
I believe this is director & screenwriter Marisol Gómez-Mouakad's formal debut, and, yes, there are some bits of production that could be improved on. The budget clearly didn't cover extensive filming in NYC, so the bits set there may seem somewhat raw and unpolished. Some of the post-production could also do with some work; editing and continuity issues, but mostly minor. It's clear, however, that Ms. Gómez-Mouakad is a talent to be watched in coming years. There are many—many—long-time filmmakers who can't come within ten feet of her sensibility and sheer storytelling power.
I believe this is director & screenwriter Marisol Gómez-Mouakad's formal debut, and, yes, there are some bits of production that could be improved on. The budget clearly didn't cover extensive filming in NYC, so the bits set there may seem somewhat raw and unpolished. Some of the post-production could also do with some work; editing and continuity issues, but mostly minor. It's clear, however, that Ms. Gómez-Mouakad is a talent to be watched in coming years. There are many—many—long-time filmmakers who can't come within ten feet of her sensibility and sheer storytelling power.
Above all, this is a story about finding ourselves—our self, the true one, the one that doesn't hinge on approval from the ones we love, or the ones who profess to love us—and about what it takes to be true to it. It is a film about love, too; the romantic variety, and the familial one. It is a film about dreams, the ones we forget, and the ones that somehow find their way back to us.
Hi Guilie - interesting ... I'll keep my open for it, but suspect it'll be a film I'll see when I get back to the UK - but looks to be so well thought out - and constructed. Thanks for the review - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it'll be easier to find in the UK, Hilary... Although, being such an obscure independent film, so intrinsically Latino, I'd think the Americas would be more likely to show it. I know it's been screened recently at some of the festivals in the U.S., the Chicago Latino Film Festival, for instance, and at CSU in Fresno (California), and just last week, on the 24th, in New York City... but, yes, that's all the U.S., and maybe in Canada it's different. The film does have a Facebook page (search for 'angelica film'), and they do announce upcoming screenings there, so maybe you'll get lucky and catch something in your area. I do hope so... It's a powerful story, and I'm sure you'd enjoy it.
DeleteThanks for coming by!