By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Starring: Daniela Valentine | Diego Cataño | Hector Herrera | Juan Carlos Lara II | Olda López | Yemil Sefani
Country: mexico
Year: 2009
Running time: 85
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1101675/
Bruce says: “When a director makes a big splash with a debut film, the follow-up film is under greater scrutiny than normal. Fernando Eimbcke’s DUCK SEASON is a case in point. The good news is that LAKE TAHOE, his follow-up effort, is solid; the bad news is that it is not another DUCK SEASON. LAKE TAHOE, filmed in color, is stylized and enigmatic. This time around Eimbcke does not divulge the details of his story very quickly and the viewer is left in the dark for much of the film. Using a stationary camera much of the time, his figures move in and out of the tableaux he creates. In LAKE TAHOE, life is a surreal canvas.
“The film begins with a compact red car losing an argument with a telephone pole. The loud crash occurs off screen. Since the car is the only vehicle on a deserted road with no noticeable obstacles that could be responsible for the crash, the event is enigmatic. Juan (Diego Cataño), the driver begins walking into town where he attempts to get help through a series of vignettes. Some are brief and others go on and on. A tow truck owner simply yells ‘We’re closed,’ when he clearly is not. At the home of Don Herber (Hector Herrera), an old man who has a car repair shop, Juan is cornered by a vicious dog. ‘I didn’t come to steal,’ Juan pleads. ‘Tell that to the cops,’ Don Herber replies. After he calms down upon hearing Juan’s story about the car, the old man says ‘You need a little box with a switch. When you find it, let me know.’ At another repair place he encounters Lucia (Daniela Valentine), a teenage girl with a baby named Fidel. She claims to have the part but cannot put her fingers on it. She solicits the help of David who invites Juan to his house to watch a Shaolin workout video. Juan spends the night but fleas during breakfast with David’s overzealous religious mother.
“Back at Don Herber’s house, Juan is asked to take the dog for a walk. The dog gets loose and Juan tries in vain to find it. Juan returns to see Lucia and suddenly finds himself babysitting Fidel. Several times, Juan stops by his own house where his brother is firmly ensconced in a tent in the front yard. His mother locks herself in the bedroom and bathroom, behavior that indicates all is not well. Late in the film we find out why.
“Diego Cataño, also one of the leads in DUCK SEASON, is perfectly cast as Juan, a boy who learns a great deal about life and human nature in a very short time period. The supporting cast – almost each and every one a character – is excellent. Blackouts divide the various vignettes and scenes. As the film progresses, the blackouts are longer and more frequent. Whether they are meant to represent the passing of time or just there to give the viewer some thinking time, they begin to lose their effectiveness midway. Eimbcke does a wonderful job of tying up loose ends without forcing resolution upon his characters. 4 cats”