Reviews

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  ★★★★ review by Jaime Grijalba on Letterboxd

  La voz en off (2014)

  8/10

  In some strange way this reminded me to a more focused version of something that Rejtman might direct. A lot of different and varying stories, one that leads to another, secrets and overall a sense that something is going to happen but in the end nothing truly does. There's no pathos, there's no real sense to anything that happens here, but in the end it does give some kind of functionality to the most annoying and unlikeable array of characters that I've ever seen put together in a film in a long time. But these are the kind of films where these kind of characters actually work: they don't get what they deserve, but in a way they understand their own failings, their own miserable qualities, they become human to the viewer through their unlikeable means.

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  ★★★★ review by Carl Sandell on Letterboxd

  Partly based on moments from Jiménez' childhood this is a sneakily witty and insightful family drama. The main focus is on the trouble with communicating within the family and how it shapes the image people have of their family members. As the grown-up sisters deal with revelations about their parents' history the next generation of children goof around oblivious to what their mother is going through. The film doesn't make an explicit point of it but it's there as a mirror to the main plot.

  The kids just being normal kids doing their own thing is important to the insights and it works thanks to some really solid acting from the kids. Perhaps it was easier to direct them since a lot of their interactions were autobiographical. They also get some good material that exposes the weakness and hypocrisy in the adult characters. E.g. the mother is taking a break from using technology like the internet for a year to focus on making real connections and whatnot, and of course the most honest piece of intergenerational communication that takes place is between the daughter and grandmother when they chat on the internet.

  The film does wander from the main theme a bit but the sharp observations about family dynamics are always amusing. Any throw-away line may contain some clever insight that is easily missed by the expectations of context. This is why I love all Jiménez' films in spite of potentially weak narratives.

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  ★★★★★ review by kuru on Letterboxd

  similiar story to Thus Another Day 1959 ‘Kyo mo mata kakute ari nan’ by Keisuke Kinoshita

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