Audience Member
A bold attempt to fight the flawed system.
A Mexican thriller-drama based on the novel of the same name. A theme about fighting a defect in the health insurance policy by an ordinary middle-class family. I had no idea of what this film is about, in the last minute I decided to watch, not even knowing about the storyline or its genre. But intrigued by its honest narration. The depiction in the film might not how in the real world happen, yet it uncovers what the desperate people can able to do if they were not treated fairly. You should not judge it by its cover, I mean its low rating and bad reviews. It is a much better film with a message.
The film ran nearly 75 minutes, which is shorter than an average film length, but it revealed everything it wanted to tell the viewers in a bold attempt. One of the realistic films I have ever seen that dealt with the real world issue in an unconventional way. The story of a middle aged wife Sonia, whose husband is very ill and completely depending on the insurance to cover the bills, but the company refuses to pay. So her quest commence to convince them and when she realises it is complicated, in the desperation she takes an alternate route to handle the situation. The following events are unexpected, powerful, before emotionally concluding.
"Next time, we'll rob a bank, okay?"
It is not about the corruption, but still fits in that category. In the end how you take it all matters. It started off like a slow drama, the developments were failed to impress me until the first 20 minutes. Surprised by the series of events came after that. The mother and son fighting the system their way when there was no option left, or maybe going through the legal proceeding might cost the time and life of the patient. They knew their position, and they did what have to be done at that point without thinking the consequence.
It is definitely an interesting take, the writer might have inspired by the real poor people's struggle to access the health insurance benefits, especially in the developing countries. So she added some extra contents to the screenplay (book) where the characters in the story can fight the bureaucracy and to make the story appeal its audience. The film was awesomely made, though there was no money making agenda behind it. The actors, particularly the one as Sonia was amazing, she could convince the viewers the character she played or the story are not fake. And then often, the gunfire sounds suddenly changes the environment in the film to pick up the pace like we do hit the refresh in our computer.
That one night event where most of the story takes place was looked some kind of undercover operation by the media. But the camera angles to cover the other side of some of the scenes were smart enough to pour in more interesting stuffs to us to stick with it. This film can't be watched for entertainment or to gain inspiration from unlawful act that shown in it, but it's set to deliver its own message. I don't think anybody would regret watching it, because it is short and sweet and the topic of the film is alone worth a watch. There are some full male nude scenes, but they were unintentional. Other than that it is a good film for everybody, especially for the grown ups I suggest.
7/10
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
7.5/10
Bety good thriller, with great performances specially from Jana Raluy, she was terrific and with such a complex character she delivered in every scene. Moreover, the story was very relatable and shows how someone is willing to go to the extremes for a loved, with a system that goes against her. Overall, the movie had its detractions mostly in the beginning, but once it became more intense it was very thrilling.
~August 13, 2016~
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Wow. What a powerful thriller. What a powerful statement. It's rare for me to want a film to be longer, but I wanted to be with Sonia more. Foreign films seem to take more chances, even to this day, and this film is no exception, Don't expect stock characters, or cliche preaching. This film entertains while making a political statement that is universal. It's wonderfully shot (though I'm beginning to tire of the "Fincher Look") and has top-notch acting. You can feel the desperation and tension throughout. I caught this on Amazon Video. If you get a chance, rent it. It's worth the money, for sure. I forgot to mention that one of the best things about the movie was its ability to tell the story without camera trickery or manipulative music. You're forced to take a side, forced to decide if the choices made by Sonia were justified (can't give away anything, it'd take away from the experience).
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
Full Review
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