La mujer de mi hermano

As pared down, stylish and deceptively simple as the stark glass and concrete block inhabited by two of its main characters, "La Mujer de Mi Hermano" (My Brother's Wife) is an adultery drama that skips the big life lessons in favor of observing the mysteries of human interdependency and social behavior.

Peruvian director Ricardo de Montreuil has transposed the characters created by his compatriot, novelist Jaime Bayly, from Lima to Mexico City and has cast Mexican stars in three of the film's four principal roles. The idea behind the relocation was to broaden the film's global appeal, as Mexican films tend to be well received across Latin America and within the United States. Accents and local slang are duly adjusted, but the shift feels academic. "La Mujer de Mi Hermano" blooms inside only the most insular, intimate spaces, its characters untouched by the world around them. If anything, it's a reminder that class — especially the upper echelons — is a country unto itself that doesn't recognize geographical borders.

Disturbingly beautiful and melancholic Zoë (Barbara Mori) lives with her image-obsessed husband, Ignacio (Christian Meier), in an ultra-modern house — half display case, half hothouse — on the outskirts of the city. Ignacio is wealthy and doting but distant, and their marriage is affectionate but passionless. Ignacio's sterility and Zoë's refusal to consider adoption compound the feeling that the marriage has cruised into a cul-de-sac.

Zoë's complaints, which she shares with her gay friend Boris (Bruno Bichir), are legitimate, but it's Ignacio who elicits sympathy at first. Genuinely afraid of losing Zoë, he exudes a tightly wound, reined-in helplessness that's painful to watch. The feeling is cemented when Zoë starts hanging around with Ignacio's estranged younger brother, Gonzalo (Manolo Cardona), a painter who bad-mouths Ignacio at every opportunity but gladly takes his money each month. When Zoë drops by his gallery unexpectedly, Gonzalo sells her a painting from his show. The selling, rather than giving, becomes another point of contention between Gonzalo and Ignacio, but for Zoë it's a chance to get back at her husband.

The principal pleasures of the film lie in the subtle shifts in character that prompt shifts in allegiance, so I won't spoil them. The main thing is that "La Mujer de Mi Hermano" lets its characters' behaviors speak for themselves, which naturally lead the audience into snap judgments that evolve into something more fluid and forgiving.

Tall and broad, Meier has a rigid, hulking quality that serves him well as the high-strung businessman scared stiff of losing his wife. For a guy built like a pylon, he has a remarkable way of making himself small by tucking himself into a neat package.

Mori, a memorable presence, plays an instantly recognizable type nonetheless rarely seen on screen. Zoë's uncommon beauty masks her neediness, insecurity and loneliness. Mexican star Angélica Aragón plays Cristina, the mother of Ignacio and Gonzalo, a woman who sees strictly what she wants to see and nothing more.

A final twist — a bit of a corker — threatens to push what has otherwise been a cool-headed emotional experience into the realm of melodrama. Despite this false note, "La Mujer de Mi Hermano" keeps a cool eye trained on its characters as they struggle to make their lives conform to some strict phantom ideal.

For a movie about an inter-family dalliance, it's far more pragmatic than you might expect, and far more humane. Ultimately, "La Mujer de Mi Hermano" offers the uncommon (in movieland) perspective that it may be the ideal that oppresses life, not the other way around.

I have watched so many nice movies from Argentina, Mexico and Peru that I could never expect a so terrible film like this, particularly as the plot could have been worked as an exciting production. With an absolutely ridiculous screenplay, full of awful dialogs, "La mujer de mi hermano" is a harsh failure, quite disappointing. Even though actors are not bad, their performance is not good enough to reverse the disaster caused by a bad story. As the film advances, one becomes more and more irritated by the so obvious events presented in a boring chain of clichés and unacceptably absurd situations. When the dramatic changes happen in the second third part of the movie, it is far from enough to make it a good film. Bárbara Mori is a beautiful actress; that does not make Zoe a good character.

An attractive young woman's search for passion and a child after nearly a decade of marriage leads her to turn to her husband's brother. Although she is reinvigorated by their romance, her decision sets in motion a series of events that forever threaten the ties that bind them.

Later on she finds her husband is interested in a male (he is gay).

Her husband accept her as well as her child and he told her that he is gay

In the end both live together with a cute boy child

Well, I must admit there may be some bias in my review because my cousin is one of the leading actors. But because of that I was even more prone to watch for mistakes or imperfections in the acting than I normally do when watching a movie. The first thing that must be said about this film is that the cinematography is excellent!! The attention to detail and framing that was put into every shot is manifest. Even just the opening sequence with the leaves floating in the pool was shot with a talent that is evident throughout the movie. The soundtrack is fine and subtle, blending well with the scenes and setting the appropriate mood. The acting was top rate - across the board - from the primary actors to the supporting cast down to the extras. Way to go cousin you did fantastic. The director definitely knew his story well and seamlessly planned out the path on which he would develop it. The situations and circumstances portrayed are perfectly believable. You truly find yourself engaged in the lives of these people. As the madness, guilt and predicaments gather up you can't help but feel pity for each character's weakness and just hope that in them lies some dormant strength they can muster to correct and recover their lives. This is a good drama film. And if you are in the mood for the steamy quandaries that people can get themselves into you will enjoy watching this movie. By the way, my cousin is Manolo Cardona; just in case you were curious.

While the cinematography is decent and the actors are top notch, the story is one that could be fit into a 15-20 minute short film. It's not just that it drags, it's also predictable as all get out and devoid of any substance -- it's literally a story that's been done to death on Lifetime. An even bigger let down is the lack of nudity when the subject is sex. Movies are meant to entertain; usually all it takes is a good story, but if I were the producer I would have pushed hard for more nudity to make sure the viewer doesn't turn it off for something more erotic.