Cayo was written (or so claim the producers, Ineabelle Colon and Pedro Muniz) as to make its plot slightly more general in tone and subject matter than movies that are intrinsically tied to their place of origin. Here, the plot, subplots, acting styles and general framework are decidedly Puerto Rican. My fear is that something might get lost in the translation... maybe not.
Without giving much detail, here's my take: Cayo is about a man's (Ivan) last few months. He's dying from cancer, and wishes to go back to his native island of Culebra, part of the Puerto Rican archipelago, to spend his last days. His loving wife (Julia) reluctantly returns with him; they were sweethearts since childhood. But there's a third person in this triangle: the dying man's former best friend (Kike). He still holds a grudge against both, since he was the woman's lover while Ivan was away fighting the Vietnam War.
Ivan discovers that visiting one cay surrounding the main Culebra island regularly gives him physical strength and inner peace. He prolongs his live for about a year and a half, and the whole town notices it. The Federal government then decides to declare the cay off limits to the population... and giving you more details would spoil the plot.
Pros - The cast, as usual in the few Puerto Rican movies that are out there, has quite a few actors that would give Hollywood a run for its money. In particular, Roselyn Sanchez has a decent role on this one, and she acts it quite well. Adrian Garcia is surprisingly good as one of the secondary actors. Colon and Muniz do their limited roles quite well, and so does Idalia Perez Garay, whose otherwise meaty role is probably over casted, given her excellent talents as an actress. The cinematography is a VISUAL TRIUMPH. Ambientation is excellent. The main roles (Ivan and Kike) are well played by Carlos Esteban Fonseca and Jose Felix Gomez, respectively, although the roles themselves are not strong enough for their talent. Raul Carbonell's role is also very good, although he overacts his crucial monologue a bit. Music and scoring is generally good, becoming excellent towards the end.
Cons - The plot reflects Ineabelle Colon's background as a Literature teacher. Cayo's is NOT a film script, it reads more like a play. The pacing can be glacial at times, the editing is too conservative, and the direction (role- and script-wise, and not in visual terms) can be almost non-existent at times. Some secondary roles were atrociously miscast (young Kike being the worst offender). The script lacks depth and can be a big cliché in some key scenes. Two subplot parts make no sense whatsoever: how Ivan, being a bastard while living with Julia in New York, becomes model husband again, while she is willing to forgive him, and how Kike can hold a 30-year old grudge that happens to be so strong.
I loved - The scene where Roselyn receives a marriage proposal by mail, with her friends joining her. A riot! I hated - The corny "No Tresspassing" sign the Feds were using. Plus, the two gaps in the plot that I mentioned above, plus the fact that the whole "Feds invading Cayo Pescao" was not given enough buildup during the movie.
The movie would improve if - here and there, 20 to 30 minutes be chopped off to accelerate the pace, particularly by shortening the initial scenes of Ivan back in Culebra. Some key scenes be re-shot with meatier dialog and more ambiance. And a good DIRECTOR'S CUT. These CAN be fixed before Oscar time... and with those changes in, it would at least deserve the nomination, maybe even win the Foreign Film one...
Without giving much detail, here's my take: Cayo is about a man's (Ivan) last few months. He's dying from cancer, and wishes to go back to his native island of Culebra, part of the Puerto Rican archipelago, to spend his last days. His loving wife (Julia) reluctantly returns with him; they were sweethearts since childhood. But there's a third person in this triangle: the dying man's former best friend (Kike). He still holds a grudge against both, since he was the woman's lover while Ivan was away fighting the Vietnam War.
Ivan discovers that visiting one cay surrounding the main Culebra island regularly gives him physical strength and inner peace. He prolongs his live for about a year and a half, and the whole town notices it. The Federal government then decides to declare the cay off limits to the population... and giving you more details would spoil the plot.
Pros - The cast, as usual in the few Puerto Rican movies that are out there, has quite a few actors that would give Hollywood a run for its money. In particular, Roselyn Sanchez has a decent role on this one, and she acts it quite well. Adrian Garcia is surprisingly good as one of the secondary actors. Colon and Muniz do their limited roles quite well, and so does Idalia Perez Garay, whose otherwise meaty role is probably over casted, given her excellent talents as an actress. The cinematography is a VISUAL TRIUMPH. Ambientation is excellent. The main roles (Ivan and Kike) are well played by Carlos Esteban Fonseca and Jose Felix Gomez, respectively, although the roles themselves are not strong enough for their talent. Raul Carbonell's role is also very good, although he overacts his crucial monologue a bit. Music and scoring is generally good, becoming excellent towards the end.
Cons - The plot reflects Ineabelle Colon's background as a Literature teacher. Cayo's is NOT a film script, it reads more like a play. The pacing can be glacial at times, the editing is too conservative, and the direction (role- and script-wise, and not in visual terms) can be almost non-existent at times. Some secondary roles were atrociously miscast (young Kike being the worst offender). The script lacks depth and can be a big cliché in some key scenes. Two subplot parts make no sense whatsoever: how Ivan, being a bastard while living with Julia in New York, becomes model husband again, while she is willing to forgive him, and how Kike can hold a 30-year old grudge that happens to be so strong.
I loved - The scene where Roselyn receives a marriage proposal by mail, with her friends joining her. A riot! I hated - The corny "No Tresspassing" sign the Feds were using. Plus, the two gaps in the plot that I mentioned above, plus the fact that the whole "Feds invading Cayo Pescao" was not given enough buildup during the movie.
The movie would improve if - here and there, 20 to 30 minutes be chopped off to accelerate the pace, particularly by shortening the initial scenes of Ivan back in Culebra. Some key scenes be re-shot with meatier dialog and more ambiance. And a good DIRECTOR'S CUT. These CAN be fixed before Oscar time... and with those changes in, it would at least deserve the nomination, maybe even win the Foreign Film one...
