By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Israel Cárdenas | Laura Amelia Guzmán
Starring: Geraldine Chaplin | Ricardo Ariel Toribio | Yanet Mojica
Original language title: Dólares de arena
Country: argentina, dominican_republic, mexico
Year: 2015
Running time: 80
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3958098/combined
Bruce says: “First there was HEADING SOUTH, Laurent Cantet’s 2005 film that featured middle-aged women fighting for the affections of Haitian beach boys. Then came PARADISE: LOVE, Ulrich Seidl’s searing 2012 portrait of Austrian women who go to Kenya to have sexual adventures with young natives, treating them in much the same manner as a group of male sexist pigs might treat a prostitute.
“Now we have SAND DOLLARS. The country is the Dominican Republic and this delusional pursuit of love does not involve a young beach boy, but a girl in her late teens. In an extraordinarily brave and nuanced performance, Geraldine Chaplin plays Anne, a French woman in her seventies whose life in her native land unraveled. Anne has taken refuge in the Dominican Republic because the island is beautiful, life is easy, her children in France have no interest in her, and she has had a relationship with Noeli (Yanet Mojica) for three years. She seems desperate but anyone holding on to a relationship by a thread would likely seem so. Wearing little make-up and allowing herself to be photographed from every questionable angle, Chaplin vaguely reminds one of Louise Nevelson, a woman who flaunted her age as a medal of honor.
“On Caribbean islands and countries such as Kenya that attract similar tourist trade, the poverty of the native population is often glossed over. That, too, is the problem with SAND DOLLARS. We get just a small taste of native life when Noeli runs back to her shack to rendezvous with her boyfriend. They live so modestly that it is little wonder seductive Westerners who live in magnificent villas have magnetism. Anne promises Noeli a glamorous life in France. Neither woman truly believes that will ever happen. It is a game they play to maintain the status quo. To think a young girl such as Noeli could possibly be thinking long-term requires unlimited self-deception.
“Directors Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán are husband and wife. This is their fourth film together. SAND DOLLARS is adapted from a novel. Yanet Mojica, a dancer, is incredibly beautiful and multi-talented; she may have a promising acting career should she choose to pursue one. She lightens up the screen in every frame she graces. 4 cats
“(SAND DOLLARS screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.)”