Antes que cante el gallo

I have yet to find a film in which the writer, producer or director, is also the actor, turns out to be good. This film is no exception. There is little dialog, and what little there is seems to be improvised. It appears to be a very low budget film and apparently one shot on a smartphone. It's just not a film for everyone, even if you speak Spanish and understand Caribbean culture.

To begin, I must add that I am a puertorican so this review may be a bit biased because of that. However, that doesn't change the fact that this is a truly fantastic film, one which all of our local films should aspire to be. At its simplest, the film is the relationship between a daughter, father and grandmother. The acting from all three are really good but the standouts are Cordelia Gonzales(Gloria) and Miranda Purcell(Carmin). The cinematography is also really well done, with a very raw, hand-held style, making the viewer feel as if they are in the film. The scenery is also shot in a gorgeous way, often the camera is left for a long period of time just gorging on the imagery, leaving you engaged in the scenery.The film is not perfect, it can be slow for certain viewers and it's not exactly a film with a lot of dialogue, which can retract some viewers. Some of the themes ,although strong and very well done can be a little odd to non- puertorican audiences like misogyny and religious conservatism. Still, it doesn't take away from making it the best puertorican film I have seen so far, in a year full of political comedies(election year for us) it is refreshing to see a local film take cinema a bit more seriously.

Hands down one of the best contemporary movies coming from Puerto Rico. Impecable script, very good acting, steady directorial hand.

A coming of age story with a cold look into modern Puerto Rico.