On M List of Movie Reviews
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Mi vida loca (1993)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
10/20
10/20:
Recently, the pseudo-news channel CNN ran a series of specials, covering selected movies of each decade, and
for the 90's, some of them were by Allison Anders.
My first thought was: "Who the fuck is she?" I was alive throughout the decade and saw so many films, but her work had
absolutely escaped me. Yes, I've heard of Mi vida loca, Spanish for My Crazy Life, yet dismissed it for
many years until now.
The first thirty minutes is bad; Allison Anders jumps around too much in terms of the lead characters. Every time
she tries to establish one, the narration is abruptly passed on to somebody else, ruining the overall buildup. It's
a frustrating experience. Nevertheless, the acting is good with Salma Hayek making her screen debut before becoming an
overnight star in Desperado a couple of years later. Many of the cast members were nonprofessional thespians and came
from various gangs around Los Angeles.
The next problem is the depiction of the characters' lives. Before I'm about to say something negative, the authenticity
is high; I have no doubt this is who they were back then, right down to their overdone makeup, terrible hairstyles,
and silly life choices. But I don't care about them. However, it's true a good movie should document a period of
any culture before it'll disappear forever. Saturday Night Fever is a perfect example of this.
The chola culture that Allison Anders had captured for this film is unique and won't be duplicated. Telling it
from a woman's point of view is the biggest strength. Two similar films, Blood In, Blood Out and American Me,
were through the lens of male characters. Therefore, I'm going to give her some respect for changing the direction.
All in all, if I cared about the characters or Allison Anders didn't jump around so much, Mi vida loca might
have worked out more.