El fondo del mar

After seeing "Tiempo de valientes" by this very gifted director, Damian Szifron, and being mesmerized by the high quality of that movie, I searched for another of his few titles, and found "El fondo del mar", which is a previous production, maybe his first movie.

They say that "second parts are never good", well, in this case we have to reverse the saying because the second part ("Tiempo de valientes") is undoubtedly MUCH better than the first film ("El fondo del mar") and I'm sure Mr. Szifron agrees with me.

Here I will plagiarize the phrase another reviewer used as the title for his critic, a jdruni, from Philadelphia, that said "Moods rather than storyline". How accurate, how clear minded to be able to express with a minimum of words the whole purpose of this picture!! (But nobody knows if the movie was made with that intention).

They touch here the jealousy motive, old as the world and a never ending manifestation of the human character as long as people will survive to only three inhabitants on this earth. Paranoid jealousy can be extremely perilous. For the jealous and for his/her victim.

What the jealous person doesn't realize is that when his/her partner gets a lover, THERE IS A REASON for doing so. It's so simple. Most people never think that one may not be totally fulfilling as a lover, a friend, a caring partner, etc. because... NOBODY IS PERFECT!!

We all lack or fail in a determined field and the other person has to look for that missing link on somebody else. Many triangles are the perfect solution for this dilemma. But unfortunately people get extremely aggravated when they are faced with their own weaknesses and there comes out the ugly monster of jealously and the following discussions, beatings, and many times, killings.

It's a pity that this film starts in excellent shape to go downhill scene by scene to a very confusing ending, leaving the audience in a blank state of confusion. For example, the episode of the empty swimming pool was so obscure that I only got its meaning towards the end, when somebody mentions that incident. And many other details get lost without explanation or even motive!! The actors were good and the technical part irreproachable. But the film lets you down.

It presents an obsessive jealous guy in a good mix of suspense and comedy. In fact, the jealousy seems to hide his unconformity with his relationship. After a highly enjoyable first hour, the movie decays a little, being at the end just a nice note about maturity. The cinematography is good. Clever jokes in a silly movie. 6.5/10

The student of architecture Ezequiel Toledo (Daniel Handler) is obsessed by his girlfriend Ana (Dolores Fonzi), feeling a sick jealously for her. When Ana is invited to go alone to a party sponsored by her company, Ezequiel becomes paranoid. He arrives at their place unexpectedly and finds a man hidden under their bed. He follows the man trying to find his name – Anibal (Gustavo Gárzon) – and occupation, along a night full of incidents and misunderstandings.

"El Fondo Del Mar" is a weird overrated movie. The beginning of the story gives the expectation to the viewer of a great movie, blending suspense with dark comedy like in "After Hours". Unfortunately nothing happens, the plot point is ridiculous and the story is absolutely silly. Honestly I do not understand how this film was nominated and won some categories of minor festivals – it seems to be a joke! My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

'Bottom of the Sea' is a maddeningly uneven and peculiar movie that starts with an interesting premise: immature boyfriend (Daniel Hendler) notices a man (Gustavo Garzon) hidden under the bedroom apartment of his girlfriend (Dolores Fonzi), and then becomes obsessed with finding out who is he. He follows him relentlessly, encountering an array of mishaps as he goes. These mishaps are apparently supposed to be funny, but they're played with suspenseful music in the background. It's an odd incongruity.

Credulity is really strained in this film with Hendler's character, replete with heavy beard, a filthy t-shirt, ratty sweater, scruffy jeans and shoes. He looks every inch a hobo, not exactly the ideal candidate to be surreptitiously following someone around the streets of Buenos Aires. One look at this guy and you'd remember him for weeks.

Another big problem is having Hendler and Garzon share most of the screen time, leaving the gorgeous and talented Fonzi about 15 minutes to play what basically amounts to a prop. It's a role that pretty well any actress could have played. Big mistake of omission by the director, because Hendler just can't carry this movie alone. (And I must ask: since Hendler really DOES look like a hobo, like a guy who hasn't washed in a month, what in the world would a classy woman like the Fonzi character see in him in the first place?)

When we find out what the mystery character (Garzon) is really up to, there is no suspense, no real surprise, only an explanation. So the viewer is left to wonder: 'just what was that all about?' Basically, as far as I can tell, the film gave director Damian Szifron an excuse to make a symbolic/metaphorical film about the dark unknown of the sea serving as a source of light, hope and enlightenment for those lost in the world above. Immature architect Hendler envisions a sustainable, submerged city where people can find out 'who they really are'.

All in all, this is a confused movie that really doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up.

Honestly, I expected a little bit more from Damian Szifron. If any of you had a chance to see his TV show "Los Simuladores" you know what I'm talking about. The premise is nothing out of the ordinary: An upper-middle class, shy guy goes completely paranoid when his girlfriend shows "cheating symptoms", hence he decides to follow her apparent lover all night long. Szifron manages the pace of the movie really well, which helps to convey the idea that something else is going on apart from the main plot. The latter is the only thing that gives some value to this thriller. However, the twist is not strong enough since the second plot point falls short from the audience's expectations. In the end, many things are left unsaid, the subplots are completely ignored or not developed and some things which might look like motifs throughout the movie, never come back or do not express any special significance. All in all: go watch it and see for yourself.