Love Hurts

"Amar te Duele", as well as some recent films from Mexico, introduces international audiences into an inside look of the society south of the border. Director Eduardo Sarinana clearly demonstrates he is an original. In many ways this movie presents the ugly side of discrimination in that country. In a way, the screen play, by Carolina Rivera, capitalizes in a variation of the Romeo and Juliet story, as it presents us with a couple of teen agers in love, each one coming from different worlds.

Ulises, the graffiti artist and comic book writer, is a young man with a lot of talent. His only problem is being poor and coming from the type of family the upper classes of Mexico look down upon because of being 'brown' instead as pure white. Ulises doesn't have anything to be ashamed of; he comes from a loving home where both parents work in their modest business.

Enter the lovely Renata. She is a girl of privilege. We see her and her friends roaming the local mall doing what that type of girl with money and credit cards take for granted. On a dare, she goes to Ulises, who is following her and kisses him, thus setting things in motion for the tragedy that will follow.

Mr. Sarinana is an innovative director. He incorporates some of the popular culture into the film. In a great sequence, we are shown, in split screens and in comic book fashion different aspects of what Ulises has been doing, complete with captions. It is a brilliant departure for traditional Mexican film making. The use of color and black and white is quite remarkable, as it adds another layer to the texture of the finished product.

Unfortunately, the story is doomed from the start. We know how things work and realize there could be no justice, or mercy, for Ulises. For that matter, Renata will not be able to find happiness because in her world, certain things can't be tolerated.

The director gets good performances of his young cast. Luis Fernando Pena and Martha Higareda, as Ulises and Renata, are appealing as the young lovers. Mr. Sarinana also gets great performances of the large ensemble cast.

"Amar te Duele" is worth a look to acquaint yourself with a fine film maker to be reckoned with.

This movie includes a little bit of everything you look for in a movie: love, laughter, hate, tragedy. What makes this story so beautiful is the puppy love between the protagonists Renata and Ulises. While watching the movie, you want to scream at the parents and Renata's sister for being so ignorant and stuck up. I do recommend this movie for Romeo and Juliet movie lovers- you know, the whole "we belong with each other no matter what the world says" movie. I think Martha Higadera and Luis Fernando Pena do a realistic job making us believe that they are head over heels in love. I should say that the way they met is also very realistic. I just wish that money wouldn't dictate whom we can and cannot love, ya know? -christian

Does anyone actually WATCH this thing?, wells, Fernando Sariñana did something that was thought to be utterly impossible, he released two movies the same year in a motion picture industry that has been in crisis for most of its lifespan, but, once you see either one of them (the other release being "Ciudades Oscuras") you can easily get to the conclusion that Sariñana should have saved the problem........ Regarding "Amar te duele", it´s suposed to be a "urban" take on "Romeo and Juliet" on Mexico in the shopping mall arena. Think of it as the worst parts of "Mallrats" crossed with any mexican soap opera, it has the regular pack of stereotyped characters, lousy class-z acting, the directing work is practically non-existent, it shifts (inexplicable) from color to black and white (maybe in some sort of private homage to euro-cinema or God Knows why) there are some nude breast scenes which add absolutely nothing to the "story", character development (also something absent from the film) a retarded brother (which tries in a lame fashion to show us what a good brother the lead character is) some incredibly cheesy dialogue and a predictable death scene. As mentioned above, it is suposed to be based in "Romeo and Juliet" but can be easily seen that it was in de Bar Lhuzman version rather than Shakespeare. Mexican cinema is said to be in a rebirth process and the (mexican) media is making quite a hype. Watching this kind of movies really makes you wonder why the hell they are saying that!. Conclusion: AVOID! zero stars out of 5

"Amar Te Duele" is one of my favorite films because it happens in the exact zone where I live. In the delegations of "Santa Fe", "Bosques De las Lomas", and "Interlomas" this is really happening. Upper middle class and rich class living meters away from the poor class my example is you see an enormous building and you look to the other side of the street and there are thousands of poor houses and of course they don't mix but they are all breathing the same air and the story is based in what would happen if a girl from the upper class had a boyfriend from the lower class and of course they wouldn't have a problem but everyone surrounding them including family and friends would and what happen in the movie would be really happen so what I like about it is that it could be me, my sister, my friend, anyone because its really amazing that we live in the exact same zone with the exact same places but to difference any other place in the world where it happens including cities like New York, Madrid, London or anywhere else we don't mix and this is the least fiction story that involves my life, my friends, and my family. Thats what I love about it.

After the really disappointing "El segundo aire" (2001), Sarinana came up with two new releases: "Ciudades oscuras" and "Amar te duele". This second was well-known and loved by many people in Mexico, although it wasn't that good... just like "El segundo aire". It's a tricky film about a rich girl that falls in love with a poor guy. No more no less. Not the best Mexican film of the year, but it is certainly better than flaws like "El crimen del Padre Amaro". One star and a half out of four.