Fünf Tage ohne Nora

(2008) Nora's Will/ Cinco días sin Nora (Much of the movie is in Spanish with English subtitles) DRAMA

The English translation for it's original title "Cinco días sin Nora" is "Five Days Without Nora", written and directed by Mariana Chenillo, starring Fernando Lujan as José Kurtz who has just discovered his ex-wife's suicide, and during the arrangements of her funeral uncovered a series of instructions written beforehand by his ex-wife to him as well as to others. With further complications on where she can be buried since it is a Jewish family and in some faiths- suicide is labelled as a sin is one of the controversy's.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best examples of what talented Mexican filmmakers can achieve. Excellent plot, impeccable script, outstanding actors and an amazing director's work. No big sound effects or different locations are needed to tell a deep story that leaves you wanting to know more (Ms. Chenillo, please tell us there will be another film about Jose's life!), as a matter of fact, it takes place inside an apartment in Mexico City, for the most part. Certain aspects of Jewish beliefs and traditions that many viewers would not understand are seamlessly integrated in the dialogs, and yet there's no saturation, no "over explaining". It's a very clean story, almost unadorned, and yet there is so much beneath it! As a viewer, you never lose interest, on the contrary, you get more and more intrigued as the story unveils -flashbacks are a smart element that adds to the anticipation. A thought lingers on after the movie ends: humans beings, regardless of faith or heritage, are rich, complicated and fascinating beyond the limits of life. Standing ovation!!!

A lethargic beginning is never really overcome in this very slight, mildly interesting and amusing film. Complications from the death of the eponymous title character eventually provide some conflict but the main tension for too low is between the ex-husband and his memory of the controlling woman he left 20 years ago, only to move next door, ostensibly to keep an eye on his son. Never bad and not poorly paced for its slight content, the main problem is a concept that just isn't developed enough. The story as presented here could've made a strong short film but is ultimately meager at feature length, despite a few twists and fine acting.

"Death hath so many doors to let out life." Beaumont and Fletcher

Jose's (Fernando Lujan) ex-wife, Nora, of 20 years has died, and he is left with the arrangements. Not to worry because she has placed notes on Tupperware in the fridge and left instructions for everyone about the wake. Problem is, as she well knew, Jews may not bury during Passover, so Jose has to deal with preserving the corpse over the weekend and yielding to the strict Jewish prescriptions.

Yet Jose long ago lost his faith along with his wife, who by the way has committed suicide after the 14th try. Under Jewish law, she may not be buried in the main part of the cemetery, just another barrier for Jose.

And so it goes in this small but poignant tale of Judeo-Christian practices in turmoil and more importantly the roiling of Jose's inner dialogue as he realizes his wife was unfaithful to him while they were married. Besides the amusing struggle with the Orthodox Rabbi, Jose confronts a son who is too tied to his father-in-law and a close physician friend with a painful secret. Call it Secret and Lies, for the corpse has planned well to have the past brought to the present through her pre-suicide machinations. For Jose, it's a matter of dealing with his feelings for his ex-wife and his atheism in the presence of believers.

Perhaps the subtlest success of the film is seeing Jose gradually reveal an inner core of feeling and humanity released by his ex-wife in her death. It's a strange irony made probable by underplaying and a powerful script.

For an audience of believers and non, Nora's Will will make you think about the aftermath, just as Depatures (2008) made me think about preparing a body for the final journey. It's all more than we can know before the end, but it is up to art like this to help us prepare.

"A death-bed's a detector of the heart." Edward Young

This is a very impressive film. For all its quiet and introspective moments, the film offers a very comprehensive study of how people develop relationships through the years, mostly through the process of observation and communication. Sometimes, one might not listen enough, or might be avoiding the obvious, that which does not please us or satisfy us in a most immediate manner.

After Nora dies, it is up to her relatives to "pick up the pieces" and organize the proper funeral arrangements. Her husband Jose is the person who starts the process, only to discover that there is much he doesn't know about who his ex-wife really was. Gradually, we are introduced to many of the important people in Nora's life, learning how each of them related to Nora while she was alive.

At first, we get the impression, Nora's demise is a little illogical. When we first see her apartment, everything is properly located and organized, there a sense of compulsive behavior in the way everything seems too neat, and yet we discover her life was far from perfect. Soon, Jose must confront religious men to plan her funeral, and we sense plenty of tension, leading to some very uncomfortable moments that will make the arrangements difficult to carry out. In essence, it all seems to originate in the way Jose and Nora related to each other.

We have flashbacks that help us understand their past, beautifully presented, with faithful attention to period detail, to give us a good sense of nostalgia and the passage of time. There is also plenty of attention given to the way different people express their views and show their actions when dealing with Nora's death. There are several sweet scenes that show the level of closeness that existed between Fabiana and Nora, and we can almost believe that this relationship might have provided much comfort to Nora in times of need.

Soon, we also meet Ruben, the child who has much devotion for anyone he considers family. He has been in the middle of the conflicts and is much like his father, even though he resembles his mother. Watching him grieve is heartbreaking, and at times it is frustrating how hard it is for him to take a stand because of the love he has for both of his parents, his wife and children. He is the perfect embodiment of respect and devotion.

There is a fascinating performance by the man who plays Jose. He is able to show love, faithfulness, pain, loss, and many other feelings as the film reaches its conclusion. His eyes are extremely expressive and allows us to feel much more involved because we learn and we feel as he gets closer and closer to the truth. It is a magnificent and quiet performance.

"Nora's Will" is an interesting title because it is a play in words since the whole film is a reflection of what Jose says: "she wanted it all to be her way, perfectly planned to the last detail", and yet, we learn her life was at best fractured from early in her marriage. It's a series of contradictions, just life happens to be. The title is Spanish is "Cinco Dias Sin Nora" (Five Days Without Nora), and it's a bit on the ironic side because those five days are the ones when her presence is felt the most. Everyone is closer to her than they've ever been, seeing her, calling her, expressing her feelings about her, and finally tending to her every need.

Indeed, a beautiful movie.