Movie
Review: Cry Now
Director:
Alberto Barboza
Screenplay:
Alberto Barboza
Stars:
Miguel Angel Caballero, Iliana Carter, Mina Olivera Sal Lopez, Lupe Ontiveros
I
love indie films. They are the last refuge for the true film auteur; personal
visions and statements crystallized into little creative, often quirky,
cinematic gems. Filmmakers like John Cassavetes, the Coen Brothers, Gus Van
Sant, Jim Jarmusch, John Sayles and Amy Heckerling, to name a few, have left
their distinctive mark on film. Their films are distinguished by the emphasis
on story, character, plot and authenticity, not flash ‘n bang or shock ‘n awe
CGI special effects.
“Writers are the most important people
in Hollywood...and the bastards must never find out!” – Irving Thalberg
However,
sometimes in their quest for realism, cinéma-vérité or authenticity, the
script, the written word is abandoned in favor of improvised or ad-libbed
dialog and scenes that drag on too long. So, a well-written, structed indie
film with a personal vision is a plus for me. Cry Now, written and directed by Alberto Barboza, is a pleasure on
many levels.
Vincent
(Miguel Angel Caballero) is a young silkscreen artist who designs and produces
posters with complex, intricate images that he plasters on public walls. At a
chance meeting in a night club, Vincent encounters Luzy (Iliana Carter) a
beautiful tattoo artist. They share a brief dance. It’s just a moment, but the chemistry
between the two is immediate, undeniable and electric.
There
are, of course, complications. It wouldn’t be a good love story if there
weren’t complications, right? Complication-free romances are not only rare, but
boring.
Luzy
has a boyfriend, who’s a cop. Not only that, but her cop boyfriend put up $20K
for her to open her own tattoo shop. So, she’s emotionally and financially in
debt to him.
Vincent
is in a faltering relationship he feels is over, but his possessive girlfriend,
Sofia, (Mina Olivera) has other ideas. A wise man once said: “It takes more strength to let go than it
does to hold on.” That wise man, is
me, but it does apply to Sofia. She runs a day care center and is an artist in
her own right too.
At
first glance, Cry Now, is a classic
boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl romance. But writer / director
Barboza has elevated this hip, stylish, urban, Chicano romance with his smart,
urbane, well-crafted script.
Cry Now
is set in the culturally rich Chicano environment of East LA. A world of Mexican-inspired
music, dancing and more tequila shots than you can shake a piñata stick at.
It’s a world where English and Spanish are spoken interchangeably, often
simultaneously, with humor, wisdom and supple grace. And it’s the spoken word,
the dialog, Barbosa’s masterful use and reverence for the writer’s craft that
sets Cry Now apart.
When
Vincent and Luzy first meet, the energy, the interplay is straight out of a
Bogart and Bacall movie. Their dialog is playful, mocking, philosophical, teasing,
sensual, kinetic. Vincent is instantly drawn to the alluring, mysterious tatted
up tattoo artist. Luzy, for her part, recognizes despite the mutual attraction,
trouble lies ahead.
But
they never speak to each other in direct, straight forward terms. Their
language is always oblique, implied not explicit. It calls to mind a billiard
bank shot. The cue is not struck directly at a billiard ball, but banked off
the rails to make contact. Luzy is also skillful pool player.
In
one scene Vincent says to Luzy: “I’m really feeling you right now. If you want
me to stop, you need to stop looking at me that way.”
It’s
a line right out of a Raymond Chandler novel. All the characters in Barbosa’s
brilliant screenplay speak that way. Barboza also uses art as a subtext and a
supporting player throughout the film.
At
one point, a vengeful, jealous Sofia steals some of Vincent’s drawings, pins
them on the walls of her day care center, stages a phony act of vandalism
allegedly to terrorize her young charges with Vincent’s disturbing artwork. She
reports it to the police. Sofia then appears on TV holding up a very good sketch
she drew of the suspect. It’s, of course, a drawing of Vincent.
Well,
hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Pero
sin duda, hell hath no fury like a Latina woman scorned. Exhibit A: Lorena
Bobbitt. I rest my case, Your Honor. But, in Sophia’s defense, her wrath is
nicely underscored with pathos and vulnerability well portrayed by Mina
Olivera.
There
are also some very good performances by veteran character actors Sal Lopez as
Lobo and the late, great Lupe Ontiveros as his sister, Rosario. The movie is
also filled with Latino make-you-wanna-dance. drink and cry musical score.
Scientists
have revealed to us the laws of physics and explained the bits and pieces of
atoms that make up everything in the universe. Philosophers drone on drearily about
reason, morality and logic. But only artists dare to explore the eternal
mysteries of the human heart.
Oddly
enough, Vincent and Luzy never utter the word “love” to each other. Like George
Harrison’s classic song Something, Alberto
Barboza uses artful language to paint images that tell a truly romantic story
without having to say “I love you.”. A story, in Barboza’s capable hands, where
love imitates art.
¡Un brindis de tequila para Barboza y
su pelicula!
