Museo

This is Alonso Ruízpalacios' second masterpiece, after the gorgeous Güeros (2014). As a disclaimer, this is more of a road movie and character study, than a robbery movie, it doesn't glamorize neither the crime nor the criminals, and at the same time makes a commentary on Mexican society as a whole. Instead of the usual narrative of "the robbery of the century", the screenplay focuses more on asking the question "What kind of character would do something like that?" and creates the complex, troubled, and idealistic Juan, who, tired of his family that makes him feel like he doesn't belong, decides to find himself by doing something nobody else would do, he drags his best friend Wilson who is more of a victim of his friend's ideals than a criminal. They get on the road, and it will test the friendship of both. The cinematography is always top notch, camera acts as the thing that reflects Juan's unreliable point of view. Most of the time lacking depth of field, and distracting from the main film and contemplating parts of a world bigger than the plot, along with editing which is mostly slow, and other times experimental, it lets you see that the setting of the story is greater than the story itself. The acting is also amazing, this is one of those movies enhanced by how much an actor tells you about the character without the need to say anything. But where the movie shines the most is in the sound design, there are entire sequences in the film told only by sound, and other scenes that get a new context because of how the sounds are managed. And everything comes together by Ruízpalacios' directing. Many times through the film it reminds you, you are watching a movie by braking continuity, cutting in the middle of a conversation, or with actual directing orders in the middle of a scene, but it actually works to make it more magical.

As a side note This is a movie where setting matters, México is not only the place this movie happens, it is the only place it could happen. Not only because of the poorly managed security in the museum, the way road military operates, or the erratic way news travel, but because of the lack of identity in the characters, feeling as if the pieces were their right to steal because those too were taken. Something I've always find lackluster in most Mexican films is how little they resemble Mexico, most of them usually work as a parody of the people and culture. But in both, Güeros and Museo, it is a celebration of the things that makes México an unique country, In neither a negative or positive view, but in one full of awareness. It is the first time in a long time that I've seen a film and actually said "this is a movie set in the same Mexico I live".

The movie left me with very mixed feelings. I'm a sucker for this kind of movies, that are slow paced, have lots of symbolic imagery and but told in a light-hearted way. I admire the movie more for it's technical achievements: It's great use of sound and editing. A good sense of visuals that stick with you. It's the story part that left me a bit disappointed, especially after reading about the real story.

Our protagonist is one of the dumbest individuals out there but at the same time he comes up with a pretty intricate way to devise a heist. We get a good view of the psychology of a good-for-nothing guy who wants to prove himself to himself, his family, to the world and to history. The movie has some interesting things to say about the ethics of museums and heritage of cultures. But it's more like an afterthought than an actual deep dive. I don't now if it was intentional but Juan never really does become likeable throughout the journey, not even a bit (not like his sidekick at least). He stumbles through his life and close calls like Peter Sellers. In fact, a lot of the images and music is very reminiscent of the 60's, although the movie is supposed to be taking place in the 80's which kind of confused me several times. The last half of the movie is kind of meandering in my opinion and the movie could have easily be trimmed down to 100 minutes. But it was still an interesting experience/insight into Mexican culture, although emotionally it didn't really grab me.

I like the tone of the movie, the characters are funny, the story is serious, the events are tense. You won't regret watching. The film was adapted from a real story, but came to me a little exaggerated. Especially when I was watching the robbery scene. I hope our museums are better protected.

I looked forward to watching this movie for taking on a fascinating story. Having such an incredible base to work on gave this film so much potential. Gael's involvement usually entails quality. Not in this case. Other than some good performances (including Gael's), the rest is mediocre. The script, the flow, the adaptation. They did not even stick to the story! That was the easy part and it was such a good story. All in all, a missed opportunity.

The movie had a really cool/interesting story to pull from and I thought they did a pretty good job at keeping the story going, though there is one part where the plot drags a little. There were some really great and interesting cinematography. The movie over all is okay, would give it a 7.5 if I could. I think the film is worth the watch but make sure to read the actual story afterwards.