Un Varón

WRITER-DIRECTOR FABIAN HERNANDEZ MAKES A VERY IMPRESSIVE DEBUT THAT IS SO REMINISCENT OF ITALIAN NEO-REALIST FILMS LIKE VITTORIO DE SICA'S "SHOESHINE" & "THE BICYCLE THIEF" & THE FILMS OF IRANIAN DIRECTOR ABBAS KIAROSTAMI, & THE HEART-RENDING PORTRAYAL OF CARLOS BY DILLAN FELIPE RAMIREZ ESPITIA IS JUST AS TRUE-TO-LIFE AS THE PERFORMANCES GIVEN BY THE CHILDREN IN MR DE SICA'S FILM & THE ONE GIVEN BY JEAN-PIERRE LEAUD IN FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT'S "THE 400 BLOWS." I PARTICULARLY LIKED THE SCENES BETWEEN MR ESPITIA & JUANITA CARRILLO ORTIZ , WHO PLAYS HIS SISTER NICOLE BECAUSE THE TWO OF THEM CONVEYED SO MUCH AFFECTION FOR EACH OTHER, & YET YOU KNEW THAT THERE WAS SO LITTLE THAT THEY COULD DO TO HELP EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THE LIMITATIONS THEY FACED IN LIFE. WHEN CARLOS CALLS NICOLE'S CLIENTS "SCUMBAGS," & NICOLE POINTS OUT TO HIM THAT THOSE "SCUMBAGS" ARE THE ONES WHO ARE HELPING THEM TO SURVIVE, YOU GET A REALLY POWERFUL SENSE OF THE DESPERATION OF THEIR LIVES. AND THE ANGER EXPRESSED BY JHONATHAN STEVEN RODRIGUEZ WHEN HIS CHARACTER RAGES ABOUT HOW CARLOS "LET" HIMSELF BE ABUSED A CRIMINAL SHOWED HOW TOXIC MASCULINITY CAN BE WHEN IT IS USED TO SHAME LESS POWERFUL MEN. I ALSO NOTICED THE IRONY OF THE ANGRY TONE USED BY THE MAN WHOM CARLOS MEETS IN THE SHELTER IN WHICH HE IS STAYING , & WHO TELLS CARLOS THAT HE NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO BUILD HIMSELF UP IN ORDER TO AVOID GETTING BEATEN UP. INSTEAD OF USING AN ENCOURAGING TONE, THE ANGRY TONE USED BY THE ACTOR IN THAT SCENE MAKES IT OBVIOUS THAT HIS CHARACTER CONSIDERS IT TO BE A BURDEN TO EXPLAIN THIS TO CARLOS. I ONLY WISH THAT THE FILM HADN'T ENDED SO ABRUPTLY BECAUSE THERE WERE OTHER ASPECTS OF CARLOS' & NICOLE'S LIVES THAT I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN EXPLORED (SUCH AS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY GET TO SEE THEIR MOTHER IN JAIL). BUT PERHAPS MR. HERNANDEZ WILL GET TO EXPAND ON CARLOS' LIFE IN THE SAME AY THAT TRUFFAUT EXPANDED ON ANTOINE DOINEL'S LIFE IN HIS POST-"400 BLOWS" FILMS!