#87 - El Dia Que Me Amen

Just what you always wanted. It's more art!! While this movie is not a Film Movement selection, it clearly displays the inherit danger of my selection process. It is very easy to get caught in a genre rut. It's like the time a while back when I was stuck watching crappy Don Bluth cartoons that proved his work on Rats of Nimh and some others may have been an anomaly. Did I just use the word "proved" and "may" in the same sentence about the same subject? And it was only two movies, but it seemed like SO much more. Anyways, getting caught in a foreign drama/art house rut is not exactly the kind of thing that I look forward to. Of course, I have to remember that part of the reason for doing all of this is to be surprised by movies I wouldn't normally watch, otherwise known as The Search for Before Sunrise. This movie is a prime example of when that search goes well.

I don't exactly remember what the title translates into. Something about the day I fall in love, or something like that. And look at that picture. Love in the title and a romancy looking cover don't bode well. I am already not a fan of romances and there are obviously inherent dangers in even liking one. But this is not a romance. Sure, there are issues with love and all that crap, but it is by no means the point of the movie. The main character is a man suffering from a depression that is so severe that he is unable to leave the house. The story begins when his long gone childhood friend returns home and they are reunited. These two characters provide an interesting juxtaposition wherein we have a character who can't leave his house next to a character who has traveled the world, and yet neither of them are able to sustain meaningful relationships with those around them, not to mention their families. It really is an interesting contrast.

Now I know what you are thinking. You're thinking that a movie with a main character suffering from depression can't help but be bordering on the edge of over dramatic. Okay, maybe that's just me, but it was a concern because I just wasn't really in the mood to sit through anything like that. Thankfully, this is a different story. Joaquin(that's his name) isn't in the usual self loathing, introspective, emotionally wrought kind of depression. It's more of a fear to take a risk and connect with the outside world that has caused him, in his mind, to waste his life at such an early age. He spends much of the early part of the movie almost numb and dazed, but there is something in his eyes that a real person is still in there. You can't help but get behind this guy and root for him to at least break through, if not get completely better. He is aided by his childhood friend, who is struggling to overcome her emotional hangups, which means instant drama. It really is an entertaining movie filled with humor, charm, and a tremendous character that is done with the perfect mix of subtlety and measured energy, if that makes any sense. I was quite pleased with the whole thing.