So it's my understanding that this film was a Jury Prize winner at Cannes. I would really hate to see the losing entries. Continuing on with the liner notes, the film is described as a 'deadpan dark comedy', but in my estimation, only the term 'dark' describes it adequately. Now there are only two other reviews of the picture on this forum as I write this, and both of them give a fairly positive view of what transpires in the story. I actually found those reviews well done and respectful of the picture, and I don't intend to be negative here, but this one simply did not do it for me. The principal characters were one dimensional and lifeless, and Clemente (Bruno Odar) was about the saddest example of humanity you're likely to see in any film. Squalid conditions permeating every scene throughout the story make it difficult to convince that there's supposed to be some uplifting message to be found. As an illustration, I'm pretty sure I've never seen a guy clip his toenails in a movie before, or get beaten up by a taxi driver because there was something wrong with his intended payment. I'm sure the desired effect of the picture is supposed to be one of Clemente finding his own humanity among the dregs of Peruvian society, but making his way throughout the entire story without even cracking a smile convinced me he was more of a hopeless case than ever. I'm perfectly willing to let others have their positive view of this picture, but for me it would take a Lord of Miracles to convince me to watch it again.
Review of October
