B-Happy

This comment is for those movie people that have not try to watch a foreign film yet. This is a very good film from Gonzalo Justiniano. He brings a story that looks real, with real situation, and real characters. Characters that you have to give them a chance to show you that life is life as is. This might just be happening next door to you and you do not know it.

Although the cinematography looks and feels like we are in a place where the sun rays hit differently, it hits you with a new fresh look at life. The real life we do not want to face sometimes.

This movie has so many characters that each one of them give you a touch of life that makes it rich on the screen.

I was able to enjoy this movie very, very, very much. Give this movie a chance. Give yourself a break into a new perspective in life. Real life is out there and Gonzalo Justiniano was able to put it on a film.

Lorene Prieto(Kathy's mother) gives a powerful performance and Manuela Martelli (Kathy) is the greatest.

Rent this movie. You will not be disappointed. Give real life a chance.

Life is simple sometimes. But you have to live it.

Cut! Print! That's a rap!

Director Gonzalo Justiniano's "B-Happy", along with "Machuca" (2004) proves that Chile can compete with Argentina's new wave and avant-garde cinema, though the latter is getting most of the worldwide recognition now.

"B-Happy", whose title is taken from an English phrase written on the blackboard in the lead character's classroom, tells the bleak story of Katty, whose family slowly abandon hers forcing her to rely on her own wits. The movie's narration, never losing focus from the lead character, is completely devoid of any sentimentality and is matter-of-factly and bluntly told in a series of vignettes, which resemble visual postcards. Kathy's father is incarcerated and her mother works in the general store. We get the feeling that Katty doesn't know her father that well, but in a moving scene he proudly relates the history--and resilience--of the family name.

The movie's bleakness is punctuated by the barren Chilean landscape which could substitute as a visual metaphor for the quiet desperation which young fifteen year old Katty must feel. The cinematography is stunningly impressive. Actress Manuela Martelli (Katty) portrays her character's suffering stoicly, with little emoting--her repeated mantra to the world is: "I'm not afraid of anything". She approaches each unpleasant event she is forced to contend with in the same detached, stoic manner. One scene which sticks with me ends with Katty sitting catatonic contemplates her bleak and worsening situation with a sad resignation. Unlike the character Maria for example, in "Maria, Full of Grace" she lacks any kind of carisma or inner conflict about what she does--in fact, she seems to embrace it, with gusto. She eventually must take drastic steps in order to survive, because, as she notes in one scene where she loses her virginity, "The only thing you can control is your first one". Katty is repeatedly victimized by a cruel system and society's unscrupulous, though she soon proves she is anything but a victim. One can't help but feel sympathy for her, but her Martelli's stoic characterization and the director's unique telling of the story-- (in short vignettes, some lasting less than 15 seconds)-- prevents the movie from turning into one cliché after another. Never once does she feels sorry for herself--the only sentimentality she allows herself is keeping a Polaroid taken of herself and her father, with a llama at the zoo. She wishes things could be different but they aren't, so she deals with the cards dealt her pragmatically, without allowing sentimentality to overcome her.

The second part of the movie takes place in the Chilean port city of Valpariso, as Katty sets out on a quest to locate her father, and the movie takes a predictable course without really going anywhere--this is, after all a character study with distinct noirish elements, especially with the gritty Chilean port of Valpairiso featured prominently. A good companion piece to compare this picture with is Argentinian director Maria Victoria Menis' "Little Sky", "El Cielito" (2004)--just as bleak but with the same theme.

Have you noticed how do simple movies had have a huge impact on the audience this last time? Just Think about ELEPHANT, for example. Plain story, wonderfully worked, acted, directed and filmed: nothing else needed. When a movie is well crafted, and the emotional intentions are correctly delivered to the audience, the most plain, stick man-acted, midi-sound-tracked story can receive a 20 minutes stand up ovation on Cannes. This is a fact, ans it is one of the most actually used formats on contemporary films. But, B-Happy isn't just plain, like a valley covered on green moisturized grass, is a mud filled down sloped crater. It is a awfully bad directed story, as told by a 15 year old kid who grades an F on grammar. The image is not clean: between scenes, you can tell when it's gonna be changed by noticing a slight brightening on the picture, which is really disturbing for the viewer's eye. Manuela Martelli proves once again, that her fame as a good actress is, in fact, mysterious: she just accomplishes with saying the lines and walking through the set. This film doesn't reach for the viewer's heart, it has no genuine feeling, and stimulates the unfortunate sensation that Chilean Film Industry goes nowhere. For real Feelings on a Chilean movie, Try Silvio Caiozzi, Boris Quercia, Gregory Cohen, just to name some.

I really enjoyed this movie. It gives you a glimpse of the poor, rural and less known Chile. The actors in the movie are very credible and give you a sense of very "ordinary" people. I watched the movie in Spanish and even their accent/dialect feels genuine. Manuela Martelli (Kathy) has the power to absorb you completely in the story and her performance justifies well the various international awards for best actress. In the story you see Kathy as a very strong, independent woman who has learned not to fear anything. She repeatedly says in the movie "ya no le tengo miedo a nada" (I no longer fear anything) and she adds her unsettling/scary new experiences to her list of things she does not fear. She is a child forced to grow really fast and to face circumstances that will break many of us--yes she relies on her inner strength to overcome her circumstances. At the same time you are able to see Kathy's vulnerability and her longing for love and affection. This is a drama with strong scenes that at times made me uncomfortable--but nevertheless a very well done film.

If you are a lover of good performances and simple histories, this is a real must-see movie. It is a very sad history, but in the same time it is real history that maybe happens all days in different parts of the world. The promising debut of Manuela Martelli open a new era in latinamerica actresses, she supports almost perfect the movie on her shoulders with a unique charisma not seen in a chilean actress for many years. The movie fits perfect in Manuela, her baby face and sometimes inexpressive way of acting are the perfect combination for a terrible but powerful history. Her performance is brilliant, and i am sure that she will be a important cinestar very soon.