Under a Spell

This is a most strange sensual Mexican story, where the main aspect seems to be its art direction. This does not mean that the story of a man whose little war against political corruption, ethnic traditions and sexual urges, has been stylized to the point of becoming an obstruction to its appreciation. On the contrary, because it is a story dealing with surfaces and sensuality, the external look is such a deliberate aspect that the art direction is perhaps the key element to tell the story, thanks to the way décors, color and props transmit the feeling of privation, exploitation and misery in rural Mexico. Very good performance by Blanca Guerra, as usual.

Words and lines, pieces of lives and a marvelous collection of moments... this movie like very few I have seen, is actually able to touch you. It feels like a nice long history, like a moving book, which fills the screen and shows the born of an era, the mixture of what once was, what was then and what one day will be... in a way that is perfectly universal and painfully true; a little town in the south of Mexico, a little story, a few lies, a few truths. A great movie!

In 1928, in a revolutionary Mexico, in the small village of Progreso nearby the harbor in the district of Yucatan, Eliseo (Daniel Acuña) is the son of a violent stevedore, who is one of the founders of the local Union. The boy has a sister, mother and two friends, and is not a good student. He frequently lies, specially to avoid the physical aggressions of his father. His teacher Felipa (Blanca Guerra) decides to help him to assume responsibilities and asks him to clean her house daily before going to school. Felipa is in love with a sailor. One day, Eliseo arrives wounded due to the beating of his father and stays at her house in the night. The solitude approaches them and the boy has an intercourse with her, becoming the favorite student of Felipa. Their affair ends when her beloved sailor is found drowned and Felipa moves from Progreso. The main story continues in 1937, when Eliseo is a married young man, and Felipa returns to Progreso. This film is excellent, having a screenplay with many characters, all of them very well defined for the viewer, and many plots and sub-plots. This romance is about love, ignorance, corruption and intolerance. The direction is superb and the actors and actresses have a magnificent performance in this very credible story. Although having a minor role, it was good to see Elpidia Carrilo, from `Salvador', `Predator' and `Predator 2' on the screen. The problem in Brazil is the title and subtitles on the cover of this movie, which induces the viewer that this is a thriller or an horror film. I have the VHS, and the title is: `The Spell'; the subtitles are: `Magic, Seduction, Superstition, Witchcraft'. A viewer who does not know anything about the story, hires or buys the film expecting a suspenseful film. Indeed he will find a very sad romance. The target audience is not achieved using this type of subterfuge. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): `O Feitiço' (`The Spell')

Technically a very viewable film "Under a Spell" is the case of what a terrible screenplay can do to an excellent story, notable actors and lovely setting. As an adaptation it reminded me of those online translation services that literally show you the meaning of every word you give them...although the translation doesn't make much sense.

I would suggest Carlos Carrera to stick to direction and leave script writing to professionals.

The longest 130 minutes of my life.

I saw this movie at the Lincoln Center in New York 2 days ago in one of those weird film festivals and I say weird because sometimes people remember only bad things of Latin America and forget the wonderful ones about us. This is one good-looking movie. The photography is breathtaking and the actors performances are wonderful. Especially good is the actress that interprets the role of Felipa, the teacher who falls for a sailor but finds solace in the arms of a 13 years old. Although the story slows a lot when the characters grow older, the story is flawless, full of passion and magic. Don't miss it!