(Review originally written at 27 November 2006)
This big Chilean box office success is a great pleasant light movie with some serious undertones in it.
This movie shows that there are some talented directors in South America, that can make some great movies, once they're giving the chance- and right tools. Every now and then a movie like this one goes overseas, to be seen by the rest of the world. This is one of those movies and it truly deserves to be seen by the world.
The budget is obviously low but the filmmakers did their best with the resources they had. It gives the movie a good and professional look and makes the quality of the movie quite high, despite the budget. It once more proofs that all you truly need to make a great movie with, is creative talent.
The movie begins quite simple with a simple premise; A poor taxi driver with a big family to support is given a choice from 2 small time crooks: drive them around while they rob, or get locked up in the trunk. It probably sounds like this is the Chilean "Collateral" but it obviously is not. This movie chooses a light and comedy like approach, which makes the movie pleasant to watch. As the movie progresses the movie however also gets some more serious undertones about family values, everyday struggles and other dramatic situations. It makes the movie more than just a fun, light pleasant movie to watch but also one with a great underlying story, that is well written- and used in the movie.
But above all this movie mainly remains a pleasant one. Despite the dramatic and serious undertones, the movie always remains a comedy. It makes the movie pleasant but at the same time not at the costs of the overall effectiveness of the story.
The acting in this movie feels very natural and it makes you care about the characters and make them all realistic ones as well.
In my experience, an excellent movie to get introduced for the first time to Chilean cinema.
8/10
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