Paraíso B

i'm sorry to say this recent chilean film is all but unfit for human consumption.

it's the clichéd story of small time criminals around santiago's horse racing circuit. numbers runner leo, his old girlfriend gloria who returns to the neighborhood after years in miami, her brother pedro, and "el jefe", the mob boss.

as you may very well have guessed, leo and gloria rekindle their affair, while pedro hatches a plan to bilk "el jefe", which of course goes horribly... (yawn). el jefe starts resorting to extreme measures to get his money back, but at some point, his goals shift inexplicably, and he only cares about bedding leo's old/new girlfriend. that this should happen is presented as some kind of unthinkable tragedy, even though gloria was shown to give this guy a blow job in a teenage flashback!

even though this was the first chilean film i've ever seen, the plot felt as stale as last week's empanadas. but not only that; every single line uttered throughout the film was a regurgitated cliché as well. the characters were ill-defined and paper-thin. the direction was totally serious and devoid of humor, despite the threadbare plot. and another hallmark of the bad movie: the utterly meaningless title.

the only thing this movie could possibly offer is a glimpse of realistic chilean locations, vernacular and music.

sorry to be so harsh on the filmmakers, but this film was a big disappointment.

'Paraíso B' is the expression, or at least a glimpse into the 'paradise' some people in the suburbs of Chile get a chance to see. In middle of poverty and cheap porno, horse-gambling seems the only way out. At least for a while. The plot centers around the loser-lifestyles of these beings where as a character sentences at the beginning of the film: 'We were born here and we will die here'. The plot slightly fragile circles this endless sea where betting on horses IS the only way out or at least a starting point to leave any place else but there: a place where prostitutes, mob gangsters,drinking and pot-smoking on an empty swimming pool is the average endless day.The death of the prime characters' grandmother brings back from Miami the lost-love of Leo (played by Juan Pablo Ogalde)- Gloria (played by Leonor Varela)who as a teenager was forced to do sexual favors for 'track-money'. Now she comes back to everything she hates and has left aside from her past. Back home she sees nothing's really changed but the love for Leo...when a bad deal is made at the tracks, hell unleashes: his brother is sentenced to death by 'el Jefe'(a twisted old man into bondage)dragging Gloria and her past to present. But Pablo is given a second chance to do the right thing and regain his lost love and look for a way out of the suburb. Although the film is consisting some failures may be found in the sound production but the script and acting as well as the story line is very effective. Writter/Director Nicolás Acuña recreates the reality of the outskirts of Santiago, their lifestyles and aspirations with great realism.Not bad but could've gone much further in the filmaking...still waiting for his next outcome.

Karel Jorge Bosaans.

Perhaps misunderstood, this apparently grim and coventional film is nonetheless visually striking with dashes of genius while keeping the story moving along. The performances range from the excellent by the female lead Leonor Varela to the merely competent. Cinematography lifts this film above most shot in Latin America, adding to its mood of paradise gone, of the meaningless of life. It might be disappointing to some that this is not a political film but an exploration of the inner self. Paraiso B belongs to a new category of film where personal concerns drive the narrative as oppose to the usual social emphasis. Rented, if you can find it.

I believe this is a very clever film; and although its screenplay is plain and lacks of depth; it exposes rather sleek editing and cinematography. The music is in my opinion the best feature, alongside with the acting of Varela.