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Cronicas
(2005)
Woe are we, a society that relies on our ability to perceive what lies on the surface in order to judge our fellow man. So goes the common philosophy. I can’t imagine there is a solution, or rather a cure to this disease, but let’s take a step back and think about it: How ridiculously unfair is it that unattractive people need to work harder and shine brighter than someone good looking just to be afforded the same opportunity in many important scenarios (and that does not include romantic relationships of course where such a notion is pure fantasy)? And I’m not being shallow here and articulating my personal limited outlook – this sentiment represents the sad, sad state of affairs in the world we live in (and you know who “we” are so don’t get cute). It is in our nature to make the call simply based on appearances - an unfortunate cognitive reflex. The beautiful and muscular are noble and heroic, while that ugly, overweight guy in the mug-shot, “he looks like a child molester.”
In Sebastian Cordero’s riveting, trippy thriller, about a celebrity reporter in Babahoyo, Ecuador (played by John Leguizamo in his Spanish speaking debut) looking to make his name even greater by exposing a serial killer and rapist of children, we are confronted with the reality that is media manipulation and our own superficial biases. When Leguizamo’s Manolo Bonilla and his 20/20esque television program speaks, its audience, naturally accepts as gospel the words of their trustworthy patron of scandal and sensationalism. So too, as the message translates, do we believe in our newspapers and anchor people and CNN.com. “Why shouldn’t we?” you might ask. They check their facts, name their sources, and wouldn’t there be an uproar if something was missed or inaccurate? Because, as the movies have always known, the public is only being transmitted half the story.
Truth be told, this sort of social commentary has been kind of played out in film. From Wag the Dog to Natural Born Killers to Fifteen Minutes. We get it filmmakers! We’re just a bunch of gullible suckers eating up whatever the folks in media deem us worthy to be fed – and those suits always have an agenda, an evil, self-serving agenda (cue vampire laughter). If that were all Cronicas had to offer it surely would not have been an official selection at both Sundance and Cannes. What Cronicas brings to the table in addition to the didactics is the chilling performance of Mexican actor, Damian Alcazar, as a sympathetic, tortured prisoner who may also be the “Monster of Babahoyo”, and the ambience of Ecuador, a poor and brutal country with a lush and primitively natural landscape. The film, produced by grim-eyed director Alfonso Cuaron, maintains an unsettling, almost sickening atmosphere that just breeds like a wild vine and hangs ominously over every scene. This is not Hollywood filmmaking by any stretch, and if it were not for the familiar and likable face of Leguizamo, the average Saturday night filmgoer would be clawing at the door. A feel-good movie this is not. However, it is a thinking person’s movie, and an entertaining one at that. If you could put aside your loathing for the press and disregard my media bias, take my advice (as a friend of course) and seek out this dark, minimalist diversion.
Send all comments to movie rav jordan hiller at jtrick1@aol.com
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