Four out of
Five stars
Running time:
98 mins
Enjoyably offbeat Mexican comedy-drama with an original, consistently surprising script and great performances from its two leads.
What's it all about?
Directed by Ernesto Contreras, Blue Eyelids is set in Mexico City and stars Cecilia Suarez (Three Burials) as Marina, a shy, lonely young factory worker who wins a beach holiday for two in a work raffle. She calls all her acquaintances and old school friends but no one wants to go with her, while her mean-spirited sister (Tiare Scanda) tries to trick her into giving her both places for her and her husband.
However, when Marina meets Victor (Enrique Arreola), who claims to have been at school with her, even though she doesn't recognise him, she decides, on an impulse, to invite him on holiday with her, so the two spend a few dates getting to know each other before the holiday begins. Unfortunately, despite having several things in common, there doesn't seem to be much of a spark between them.
The Good
Cecilia Suarez is wonderful as Marina with her perpetually wide-eyed, blank-faced expression – you long for someone or something to make her smile. Enrique Arreola is equally good as Victor and pitches the role just right, so you're never sure whether he's inventing their schooldays connection or the things he says – to this end, there's an excruciating sequence where Marina is trying to call him at work and none of the departments seem to know who he is.
The script is delightfully original, in that it continually undercuts all the usual romantic comedy cliches – each potentially romantic encounter ends in a downbeat, disappointing or completely chemistry-free way and yet you still hope that they can make it work, in spite of all the evidence that they won't.
The Great
Contreras includes some superb sequences, such as a close-up of Marina's hand picking away at a picnic blanket as Victor's voice drones into nothingness beside her.
Worth seeing?
Blue Eyelids is an enjoyably off-beat, cliche-resistant comedy drama that's almost an anti-romcom, thanks to a sharply written script and terrific performances from its two leads. Highly recommended.