Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Roland E. Zwick "Drama/Mex" tells of three everyday people in Acapulco whose lives intersect over the course of a two-day period. The characters include an attractive young woman named Fernanda (Diana Garcia), who's having trouble deciding whether to stay with her current beau (Juan Pablo Castaneda) or to return to her thieving cad of an ex-boyfriend (Emilio Valdes); a middle-aged business man named Jaime (Fernando Becerril), who's contemplating suicide as a way out of his unhappiness (there's a hint that he might be having an incestuous relationship with either his daughter or stepdaughter); and a half naïve/half streetwise girl named Tigrillo (Miriana Moro), who's in the process of learning how to rip off rich, male tourists for fun and profit. The last two characters meet when Tigrillo slips into Jaime's beachside motel room to steal his wallet right at the moment that he has a loaded gun to his head. Together, these two people with relatively little in common beyond their happening to be at the same place at the same time, manage to forge an unlikely relationship that defies easy labeling."Drama/Mex" is a homespun, slice-of-life drama that isn't obsessed with making big dramatic gestures or revealing grand universal truths about human nature. Instead, it simply introduces us to its characters and lets their stories play out naturally, with very little manipulation or fanfare. Though the narrative is clearly contrived to some extent, the film still manages to capture the random nature of life as we live it. The characters don't necessarily "learn" anything from their experiences - but they do emerge from those experiences, to some degree or another, "changed" people, willing to look at their lives from a decidedly different vantage.Superb performances (especially by Becerril and Moro) and direction (by Gerardo Naranjo, who also wrote the screenplay), and a refusal to tie everything up into a neat little bow at the end add to the movie's overall quality and appeal.

jotix100 The mere idea that Mexican actors, Diego Luna and Gabriel Garcia Bernal were involved with "Drama/Mex", was the main reason for watching this film written and directed by Gerardo Naranjo. This is, in many ways a movie that evokes better made ones by the likes of Alejandro Gonzales Inurritu, or Alfonso Cuaron, who have elevated the quality of Mexican cinema to new heights."Drama/Mex" seems to have been a project of love on the part of everyone involved in it. The result feels like a cross between cinema-variete and a road picture, as we are taken along to meet a group of unconnected seedy characters that populate the lower depths of Acapulco. The film, with its two different narratives can be confusing at times if one doesn't pay attention of what is going on.What Mr. Naranjo has accomplished is to create an atmosphere of people in turmoil where he sets his characters to live and play. Best of all, Fernando Becerril, a solid actor who conveys the anguish Jaime is going through. This is a tormented soul and Mr. Becerril gives a nuanced performance. Among the young players, who might be non-professional, Diana Garcia, who is seen as Fernanda, shows a promise. Also Miriana Moro, as a young prostitute, and Emilio Valdes make valuable contributions.One can expect better things from Mr. Naranjo in the future.

matt-1726 This film is OK. Nothing more and nothing less. An interesting idea that takes almost two long hours to explain. Teenagers in love, or not, are not that interesting people. A few sex scenes break up the boredom. While it has qualities, if this is the best Mexican film in 10 years then we might all be in a little trouble. If this was the best film shown at Cannes then that festival should be shut down. The girl who plays Tigrillo is excellent and the Jessica Alba look a like is easy on the eye but as far as the story goes, why do I care? Chino is the type of character who deserves a smack in the head and Gonzalo could have done us all a favour by doing that a lot earlier.

sayedsaber Definitely the best film I saw at Cannes. Mexican cinema is really coming a long way right now, and this film was even better than Tu Mama Tambien. The director filmed the whole thing with a hand-held video camera and amateur actors (who were his friends). His approach gives the film a real gritty feeling, keeping clean of that "hollywood smell". His shots are beautiful and graceful, as is the story. It was filled with emotion, drama (obviously), and strong characters. It compels you to continue watching, without even being really sure what the plot/point is. It is a film that inspires hope in life (and life's little unexpected and unwanted surprises) and encourages us all to view beauty and innocence where we can find it, because it is so often lacking. For a film that was created essentially without a budget, it rivals and often surpasses those Hollywood blowouts that lose the essence of film making in a drive for commercial success. I strongly recommend Drama/Mex to anyone who also enjoys independent cinema and beautiful films, and pray that it comes out on DVD in the states sometime soon.