Tiempo compartido

If you have ever entertained the temptation to time share at a resort, give Time Share a chance to deter you from a potential disappointment. Writer-director Sebastian Hofmann and writer Julio Chavezmontes have mounted a crafty Costa-Rican satire of corporate tyranny and paternal vulnerability in the tropical time-share industry of Mexico.

Husband Pedro (Luis Gerardo Mendez), wife Eva (Cassandra Ciangherotti), and son spend a considerable amount of time at a fancy new villa recently acquired by an international conglomerate claiming to offer them "paradise" for their pesos. No vacationer who has been approached by a sales mongrel from a resort can neglect the suspicion that they are being "taken."

They are forced to share with another family because of an overbooking, for which there is no comp or remorse from a corporation that claims overbooking "isn't illegal if it's the result of success." Corporate indifference at that basic level and distance from the protections of everyday modern living are like being list in a jungle.

The interesting twist to this cautionary tale is that ambiguity supersedes any concrete proof that this has been a scam. Just as prominent concern is the slam on the father, who bears the ignominy and who, like dad at an avalanche in Force Majeure, faces humiliation for a perceived cowardice, a blow to masculinity difficult to ignore.

Along with the indignities suffered by workers in the hospitality force, the men especially are victims of a culture that, despite the claims of females, still holds males hostages to paternalistic notions of responsibility.

Even laundry worker Andres Andres (Miguel Rodarte) has his challenges with the corporate funny business, for like Pedro, he is responsible although possibly abuse by a corporation that uses him and his wife as profit-making traumatic donors.

Time Share won the Special Jury Prize for Screenwriting at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Given the ambiguities of nasty vacation mishaps, its screenplay accurately portrays the vulnerabilities of once happy-go-lucky vacationers who entertain corporate vultures.

Tiempo Compartido (or Time Share for the English title) is a Mexican drama/mystery from Sebastián Hofmann. I thought the cinematography was pretty good, with a well chosen soundtrack that helped the story to remain suspenseful. I can't deny the story was intriguing and that made it worth watching but the ending was a bit disappointing which ultimately will bring the ratings down. The acting wasn't bad, no Oscar winning performances though. In short, I watched way worse movies in this genre than this one, but would I watch it again in the future? The answer to that is simple and is no, but it's worth a watch.

The beginning was promising, but the ending was confusing and weak and pretty much left me indifferent other than I got to see Luis Mendes who I first saw in the 2 Crows series about the soccer team which was great. They guy is a great actor. Also, R J Mitte was surprisingly good. I guess he never got a chance in Breaking Bad because he was just a peripheral character.

Either I was tired or this was a concept that did not get off the ground. Time Share challenges the viewer to look into the concept of family, while involving some sort of brainwashing pyramid scheme. Honestly, it leaves the viewer unsure of what the plot or main focus should be. I did not find anything to be funny in this film.

I don't bother writing reviews very often anymore and I doubt I would've written one for this film either had I not stumbled across a terrible review. Clearly the other reviewer hated this film and everyone is entitled to their own opinion but their brutal dismissal was one I just couldn't abide with.

Is this a fast-paced thrill a minute adventure? No.

Is it a side-splitting comedy? No.

Does it make any brilliant societal observation? No.

Does it have to accomplish any of those things to be a good, successful, entertaining film? No.

The film is beautiful. Its colors, locale, music and meandering pacing give it a mellow dreamlike quality - like, perhaps... a vacation at a resort.

The primary conflict is one that one annoy the crap out of any of us.

The events that evolve (or devolve, if you will) or two protagonists from their innocuous introduction to the destructive consequences of their encouter are perfectly ambiguous but there are also more than enough clues to explain them.

A beautiful and compelling movie. Hardly a must-see or an entry on anybody's top 100 but not bad at all.