Mexican kids - Temporada de patos

This movie is brilliantly written. If any have seen Y tu Mama Tambien, the writer found a way to basically condense the time of that movie (which was over a period of many months) to the time frame of this movie (which is less than a day). It provokes a very similar feeling at the end of the movie- a feeling of absence, of lost friendship, a feeling of a life now changed. The whole movie itself, until the ending, captures the lives of these two boys in such a short amount of time. You can see a strong friendship that (even though you only see 8 hours of it) you can tell what the whole lifelong friendship was like. There is hilarious dialogue that takes place, and some very funny things. I think many people may not get the humor of a lot of it, but most will enjoy the randomness/hilarity of a lot of the dialogue. The filming is a bit uncomfortable at first, as the camera doesn't move and just stays put. After a while, it becomes much more comfortable- where you suddenly feel like you are a fly on the wall. This was a good choice by the director, and it really made the movie!

Brilliant!

No special effects, frenetic, head-spinning editing here - just a simple story about a day in the lives of two 14 ear old Mexican boys that turns out to be anything but typical. Eimbcke is clearly a major talent in the making,the simplicity belies his canniness and empathy with the human condition. The comparisons with Jim Jarmusch's low key delights are valid, there is a similar languid economy of action, there are also shades of Beckett here too, and Eimbcke has an eye that finds beauty and humour in the most mundane situations.The playing is wonderful throughout, Catano as Moko and Miranda as his pal Flama are the films core and things seem to happen around them, rather than to them, the catalysts are pretty teenager Rita (Perea)the neighbour in need of an oven, and hapless pizza delivery man Ulises (Arreola). I suppose at the film's core is the redemptive power of friendships,as in "Gregory's Girl" or "Stand by Me" both of which share an intuitive insight into adolescence and teenage awakening. There is even a hilarious post credit coda for all us credit fiends that clog up the aisles once the film ends!Simple,heartwarming, surreal and ultimately uplifting. Unmissible.

If you want to have a good time, go to this movie. Notice I didn't feel impelled to be pretentious and say film. This black and white movie is like a Woody Allen film but with at least two of the characterizations more three-dimensional. I won't ever forget the excitement of sitting in the front row of a 1200 person theater and hearing everyone laugh at once. And the excitement or of seeing video games widescreen just a few feet away--I was on the edge of my seat. Another great scene: watching whether the pizza deliveryman would beat the clock as he raced to the top floor of the apartment building. And then there was the visiting neighbor girl who could give Diane Keaton a run for the money. The key to this wonderful comedy in its perfect timing. After the movie which I saw at the Festival of Cortometraje in Guanajuato, Mexico, I met Paula Markevich, who polished the script. She told me she kept changing lines while she watched the boys rehearse. A film made with tenderness, humor and care. Enjoy, enjoy!

Not only Fernando Eimbcke challenged himself to shoot a movie inside of an apartment but he casted three kids without any experience in acting. The result is an original realistic movie with truly funny young characters. And yes: there are guns, drugs, flirting and bare buttocks but in a unworried way -enough to be fun and not scary. It is Eimbcke's opera prima for a long movie and he proved that his experience directing music videoclips and comedic short movies is a good foundation for this movie. He already got seven "mayahueles" at the Guadalajara Film Festival, a MTV Movie Award and he got his chance of showing Duck Season at the International Critics Week in Cannes 2004.

As usual, IMDb voters are VERY easily entertained. "Duck Season" was a big disappointment to me. It is played more for laughs although there were some poignant moments, too. Unfortunately, I was starting to feel as bored as some of the characters. Could have done without the "dead animals" scene, it really wasn't necessary. The film was also shot in B&W which surprised me but seemed appropriate. There isn't a lot of meat here, but if you like character studies, it isn't bad. Enrique Arreola as the pizza guy gives a very good performance. The younger actors weren't that convincing.

5/10