One sequence in the award-winning Mexican film “Duck Season” consists of a close-up of two tumblers being filled with cola. The Coke fills up a glass until the bubbles threaten to spill over the top, then a voice calmly says, “Finger,” and a finger enters the frame, taps the top of the foam, and keeps it from bubbling over.
If this sounds like movie material to you, you may be the audience for this extremely likable slice of whimsy.
The people in the Coke scene are two 14-year-old boys left alone for a long afternoon in a Mexico City apartment. The apartment belongs to the mother of Flama (Daniel Miranda); she’s gone to work for the day. Best friend Moko (Diego Catano) is over for the duration, and Flama and Moko have enough potato chips and video games for a nice lazy Sunday.
Reality intervenes. For one thing, the power keeps going off. Without video games, it’s hard to know what to do.
Then they’re interrupted by a 16-year-old neighbor, Rita (Danny Perea). She insists she must use their oven, just for a few minutes. But the power keeps going off, so the few minutes stretch into the whole day.
Then there’s pizza. When the pizza-delivery man, Ulises (Enrique Arreola), shows up 11 seconds past the half-hour mark, the two boys call him on it: The company’s slogan says that if the pizza shows up after 30 minutes, it should be free.
Ulises disagrees. He wasn’t late, and he’s not leaving without his money. This stalemate evolves into a movie’s worth of material with these four characters, who find mild magic without leaving the apartment.
| Whimsy: An ingratiating Mexican film about two 14-year-old boys left alone in an apartment for a lazy afternoon. Their day recalls the whimsy of prime-era John Hughes (“The Breakfast Club”) and largely, though not entirely, avoids cutesiness. (In Spanish, with English subtitles.)
Rated: R rating is for language, subject matter Now showing: Varsity |
Viewers might find this an echo of “The Breakfast Club,” which also looked at youthful ingenuity blossoming in close quarters. Writer-director Fernando Eimbcke must surely be a John Hughes fan, for his movie operates on a similar level – wicked humor, wistful observations, and the feeling of carving out a little bit of sanity within a ridiculous world.
Among the main events are a kiss in the kitchen, some pot-laced brownies, and a re-creation of the cover from the Beatles’ first album (the latter a charming moment Eimbcke visualizes perfectly in a black-and-white scheme).
“Duck Season” gets a cutesy at times, but the overall mood is so modest and ingratiating that it’s hard to dislike. This movie cleaned up at the Mexican Ariel Awards (a record 11 awards), and it’s easy to understand: It has the refreshing fizz of a topped-off glass of pop.
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