Déficit (2007)

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This movie had a lot of unsaid desperation festering under the guises of a weekend party. The constant presence of fireworks going off in the background was the score to the film - I kept expecting them to turn into gunshots. Social upheaval among the poor is very much a reality in Mexico, there are so many poor people there, yet there is also a growing middle class - and an immensely wealthy upper class. To be poor but to see wealth all around you - springing up in very fancy malls, nice cars, immaculate hotels - yet to not really be welcome in this part of society - well it can only lead to anger, or to a feeling of impotence and hopelessness. What was interesting was the duality present in the movie - both the wealthy son and the poor maintenance worker shared many of the same emotions throughout the film, especially at the end.The way the people talked at the party - in particular, how they referred to the poor - was really accurate. There is kindness and respect on the surface, but among the upper classes there is this undercurrent of racism that rears its ugly head every now and then. It took courage for a Mexican to make this film. None of the characters are portrayed with much sympathy - they are what they are. Even the maintenance workers and housekeeping staff have faults.The English translation was not that good, then again all of the joking around in the movie is difficult to translate. Regardless, my wife was laughing throughout the movie.I think that there is a seed of greatness in this film which will become more fully realized in this gifted director's future movies.

I just saw this film at the International Film Festival in Provincetown, Mass., where the audience response was tepid to say the least. In short, the film is an astonishing mess -- plot less, desultory, self-indulgent, full of missed opportunities. The director and star of the movie, Gael Garcia Bernal, was there to talk about the film and answer questions after the showing. Tellingly -- but reassuringly -- he spent most of his time apologizing for the film, which he clearly realized is a disaster. That's the reassuring part: he confided that this was a first effort which started as essentially an "acting experiment" and only later took the form of a feature film. To say that this movie somehow gets at class divisions in Mexico is to give it way too much credit. It's mostly about a bunch of spoiled, nasty rich kids who could just as easily have been dropping pills and whooping it up anywhere in the U.S. or Europe. As for the missed opportunity, the one facet of potential interest in the movie is the main character, who's clearly a troubled young man with secrets and lies in his past. But what are they? Here's a young man with looks and wealth and friends to spare, but there's something about him that the movie isn't telling us. We keep expecting to find out, but alas we never do.

I found this movie stimulating. It is true that the themes that the movie touches are touched lightly but enough you make them evident, Gael made an accurate portrait of Mexican upper class. I also believe he made the decision not to make things obvious, and I found that decision to be correct, it would make the film feel artificial for Mexican viewers, and I believe the movie is targeted precisely for Mexican viewers. The movie doesn't explain things to you with apples, and that's where its beauty is. The lack of interest of the upper class towards anything other than its own lives is patent from the very start of the film, we see the main character go thru what seems to be a local group of protesters without ever wondering why are they there... they're just an obstruction on his way. The everyday interactions with the lower class is depicted with delicacy and accuracy. There are some goofs in the film, but over all, a very interesting film. Mexico needs this kind of films that are critical to the status quo, that invite to reflection, instead of the inertial film making that leads towards telenovelas kind of stories. I would love to see more filming of this kind being done in Mexico. It is unnecessary to say that many people will come to see this film because of Gael, and that is a good thing because many of those would not have seen it otherwise, even if the message is not obvious the denunciation is there.

I'm shocked that 195 reviewers (so far) have given this film an average under 4. I saw it today at the Toronto Film Festival and it was extremely well received.On the surface, this is the story of a house party in Mexico. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Cristobel, a rich young man at a turning point in his life. He is trying to deal with other people's expectations for him, and his own wishes. Although it isn't plot intensive, it does effectively portray class/racial divide in Mexican society. Gael, Luz and the writer were at the screening. In fact, Gael has been at almost everything in town and has really shown himself to be a wonderfully warm, intelligent and sociable person. He is the sort of actor/director we always hope to encounter - he's promoting his film and himself and having a great time doing it. It's a refreshing change from the other too-busy, too- cool crew that miss screenings even when they are in town.Interesting film; great job by Gael and team.