Lovesickness (2007) User Reviews

Great movie

[ajnegron · 8/10 · 17 February 2008]

First I will like to address the gentlemen that wrote a comment about the film being shown in Puerto Rico without English subtitles. I just came back from the theater and the film DOES have the subtitles in English. So, instead of involving politics on this site inform yourself.

Now, about the film. The film is divided in three different situations, each involving the sweet and sour feeling that is called love. The cast did a great job in their acting, the characters were believable and the situations reflect different aspects of everyday life.

Maldeamores may well be the start of a new line of high quality Puertorican films that will bring a renaissance to that industry in the island.

Any Love is better than No love.

[bmxceze111 · 8/10 · 30 April 2009]

To go and say that this movie was a love story is being ethereal to the most delicate degree. This movie was many things as it unfolds with a rich sense of captivity. Taking the viewer on a ride that only a Puerto Rican can plot out (The cast is enriched with Puerto Ricans). It took a few deep breaths to fully digest the amount of dissonant dialogue, by all means it was bearable but at times it was shocking. No one can write this type of storytelling. Obviously Carlito Ruiz Ruiz got it right with precision. The film explores love on it's most obverse levels, by exploring love throughout age, rage, immense tragedy, psychosis, and of course humor. These different palettes create an exuberant amount of depth, body, and twisted sense of the word. It is definitely a family oriented film with so many references to Puerto Rican culture that you just want to throw some 'chanclas' on and hit the 'playa'. The themes of ancestry are doused with gasoline and set ablaze with trepidation. You feel what it's like to a part of the inner circle. The problematic circle is not that love is reciprocal but that the action exists and we cannot coexist if that understanding is discernible. A true gem amongst Latin gems. I hold this film in high accord with Innaritu's masterpieces.

Captivating film that shows a lot of the puertorican culture

[jlnazario · 9/10 · 12 June 2007]

Synopsis: The movie is settled in different areas of Puerto Rico, and shows the pain/humor/sensitivity/obsession of love relationships. I recommend this movie to any person that appreciates the everyday portrayal of life situations.

What I liked: I personally highly valued the quality of the acting and filmography.

What I did disliked: Nothing

Comparations: Compared to other movies from Puerto Rico, this one seems to be the best in terms of production quality, the music of the film was excellent.

Amazing effort by a group of puertorrican filmmakers!

[cesarberrios80 · 10/10 · 30 April 2007]

I had the enormous privilege of seeing this film at the Tribeca film festival this past Monday, April 30th 2007 and I cannot stress enough how wonderful this film is. The film itself centers on 3 story lines that focus on love as their central theme. Not just love, but love at different stages in a person's life. To say the least co-directors Carlitos Ruiz Ruiz and Mariem Perez Riera elaborate and handle all three stories with amazing ability. Being a puertorrican myself just recently "transplanted" from Puerto Rico to NYC I can say this is the best puertorrican film that has come out of my home country in years! I am not saying this just because this is a puertorrican film, but because it is truly great. I myself am not a big fan of puertorrican films because they tend to be too talkative and have a somewhat theatrical aesthetic to them. Its interesting to see how this aesthetic seems to be changing in recent films and especially this one. The dialogue is sharp and doesn't expose more than is necessary (which tends to be a problem of past films), and the camera work is eloquent and perfectly suited to the stories being told. The time the director spent away from Puerto Rico (recieved his BFA in Film Direction from the Art Institute in Chicago and is also an international commercial advertisement director) clearly shows through the movie, as he is able to present such a heartfelt slice of what it means to be a puertorrican born and raised on the island with the eloquence that not even Jacobo Morales could in his films. I guess you need to be away from your country for awhile in order to be able to create such a beautiful work that clearly feeds off the memories we take with us wherever our paths may take us. Carlitos y Mariem you have made Puerto Rico very proud! Pa'lante!

Great film.

[lmc0791 · 9/10 · 18 February 2008]

This is definitely one of the best Puertorican movies ever made. I love it so much, I've seen it twice on theaters. It shows the worst in love but you can't help but enjoy it. I'm sure only a Puertorican can truly love this film but it's a movie for everyone, so don't miss out on it. Besides I'm curious about what a non Puertorican has to say about it.

For those of you interested here is a link to the trailer(you'll have to copy/paste it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kqNGq1VVX4

This film does have English subtitles, unlike the man of a previous review, I know see has been removed, said.

Media manipulation

[marzo-1 · 4/10 · 8 May 2008]

This film is a good example of how through media manipulation you can sell a film that is no more than a very unfunny TV sitcom. In Puerto Rico the daily newspaper with the widest circulation has continuously written about the marvels of this film, almost silencing all others. Coincidentally the newspaper with the second largest circulation belongs to the same owners. The weekly CLARIDAD is the only newspaper on the island that has analyzed the film's form and content, and pointed out all its flaws, clichés, and bad writing.

Just because a film makes a portion of the audience laugh with easy and obvious jokes, and because one can recognize actors and scenery, does not make it an acceptable film.

Maldeamores has brought a smile to my face

[nvillesanti · 10/10 · 23 June 2009]

It's been a long time since I've seen a Puerto Rican movie that had put a smile on my face. Maldeamores did just that. This is perhaps the best movie made in Puerto Rico since, "Lo que le paso a Santiago." Maldeamores tell three different stories of love in different stages of life. It explores how trivial people can be, how people fail to communicate their feelings, and how some people can become obsessive and dangerous to obtain love. It is filmed "Amores Perros" style, but in this case, neither the stories nor the character ever cross each other.

One story is about a couple on their way to funeral. The wife, eventually finds out that her husband has been cheating her with her own cousin. What makes this story interesting is the way she finds out, merely by accident, when her brother in law tells her and from there things just turn crazy.

The other story, and perhaps the weakest story, is about an unhappy young man that still lives with his annoying mother. He becomes obsessed with a lady bus driver and in desperation; one day takes the entire bus hostage, threatening to kill anyone if she doesn't marries him. This story in occasions is funny, but lacks development of characters.

The other story, which I consider the best of all, is the elderly couple. A woman asks her mother, Flora (played by Silvia Brito) to take care of her sick father, Pellin (played by Miguel Angel Alvarez) which was her first husband and had been divorce for 30 some years. The woman brings the father one day, but the funny part is that Flora still lives with her second husband, Cirilo (played by Chavito Marrero) and they had also been divorce for 12 years. In this story all the actors steal the show, and in my opinion, is hilariously funny but without being too obvious. The elderly men argue constantly and even play pranks on each other trying to gain the favor of Flora or Florita, like Pellin affectingly calls her. It's great!

This movie was well written and the slang is totally Puerto Rican. Even though this is a Puerto Rican movie, it identifies with the overall Latin culture that makes us unique. Although the movie is not perfect, this is an exceptional film, because is the best movie made in Puerto Rico in more than 20 years. I strongly recommend it and I can wait to see more films like this. Maldeamores definitely has brought a smile to my face.

Don't waste your time or money.

[bunionclyde · 1/10 · 9 March 2008]

Don't spend your money or your time on this pitiful piece of film in the guise of cinematography.When every third word is devoted to foul language and there is no real plot as well as having a cast of old actors who are still giving the same dated performances from the past and have not evolved in their careers, leaves a lot to be said. I was expecting something better from award winning actor Benicio del Toro. The vision that others may have of Puertorricans will be irreversibly distorted by such trash as Maldeamores. A foul word at a given moment in a film may be used to emphasize a given point of view and may even be funny or sad depending on its context (see the movie Elsa and Fred for example) but it should not permeate the plot. The movie is a total embarrassment and there was absolutely nothing funny or even cute about this film.

A Dark Pearl From The Island Nation Of Puerto Rico

[Seamus2829 · 10/10 · 3 July 2008]

What we have here is a revelation. A dark little comedy from the island nation of Puerto Rico. 'Maldeamores' (or Lovesickness,as it's being called in the U.S.). Maldeamores is a smart little comedy with a dark centre to it. The film is directed by Carlitos Ruiz,and has Benicio Del Toro as it's executive producer (a good sign),and has a cast of familiars from the island (some of which are veterans). It concerns love, and it's effect on those who fall under it's spell. It reminded me a lot of the earthy comedy's from Italy (especially the ones from Lina Wertmuller). A bit of a search may be in order to see this film, as it's being distributed by a rather small U.S. distributor.

Short and Sweet and Funny

[leftbanker-1 · 10/10 · 30 August 2016]

OK, almost right out of the starting gate we see Luis Guzmán so you know you are going to like this film. I've never once not liked him in a movie. Never. Is that too many negatives or do they even themselves out to make a positive because Luis Guzmán is always a positive for me. His bit was totally sit-com type stuff but he still came through with flying colors.

This film gives us a little peek at Puerto Rico in the three main stories told. The bit about the guy high-jacking the bus to marry the driver was kooky but believable while the love triangle between the old folks was my favorite. All of the many romances in the film boil down to one thing: love is a big pain but it's all we have up until the day we die.