Receta no Incluida

I'll start by saying that "Recipe Not Included" is a movie that everyone should see because it touches on the subject of people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (better known as OCD) and it does so in a simple and everyday way that doesn't sound like a pamphlet but rather one identifies with the protagonist and feels identified.

This story is written and starred by Marietere Vélez in the role of Carola García, a young woman who seems normal and healthy until something happens that triggers the disorder that manifests itself in hearing voices that torment her. She goes to a pharmacy to buy some pills to control the disorder but she doesn't have a prescription or money to pay a doctor to give it to her.

Carola has no choice but to see if the pharmacy employee can sell her the pills clandestinely, and this unleashes entanglements, traumas and tensions with friends from the past that aggravate her condition and push her to the edge of the precipice.

Juliana Maité's direction manages to capture Carola's agony in which the good use of sound in the voices that the protagonist hears stands out.

I end the same way I started, "Receta no incluída" is a film that everyone should see to raise awareness of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Many people underestimate Puerto Rican movies some saying that there is no talent and that the movies look bad, but here is a masterpiece. Attacking the issue of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that is usually taboo or viewed with rejection, this film brings us the harsh reality that many suffer after going through a trauma. Well acted, well written and excellent cinematography make this an experience that should be enjoyed by everyone, especially any health professional. With a good pace and a good script, it is a film that I highly recommend. My only criticism would be its length, as the topics of mental disorders are very complex and it left me wanting more explanation in its short length, but it covered what was most necessary.

The director did and amazing job of representing the symptoms and coping skills of someone with a mental disorder. It isn't a film that becomes repetitive with it's topic as it takes its time distributing the issues of mental illness. In the end it is a film to have great conversations and to just sit down and meditate.