Man on the Bottom

warning: minor spoilers ahead... "Man on the Bottom," on the surface a tight little crime- thriller. But if you look below the surface, this is an extraordinary fable about the power of FAMILY. I will try not to reveal spoilers, except to say this: some families that may appear to have it all are not actually what they seem. Sometimes it's the poorest of families, a family that is struggling just to survive, that can exhibit real dedication. Anyway, that's my two cents. My favorite scenes were between the brother and sister character, "Luke" and "Liddy". Both actors were exceptional at playing off each other, and I enjoyed the way Liddy became a motivating force in the blackmail plot.

This film begins as simple tale of forbidden love, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the writer had a lot of twists up his sleeve. There's even a bit of social commentary, about the drastic differences between rich and poor in Africa. But the filmmakers don't spend much time on these weighty themes, they focus instead on a murder plot hatched by the spoiled, cheating wife Marie, who is intent on murdering the rich powerful Amado. It's never exactly clear why she so depsises him so, we're told that "money" is her sole motivation. The film is worth seeing for the twists alone, which are pretty clever and foreshadowed well. My biggest reservation is that the dialogue is sometimes hard to make out, the thick accents of the cast can be a little distracting. That being said, the parts are well cast, especially "Luke," the lead actor, extraordinarily likable for an unknown.

This is a movie that starts very slow but gains momentum. The first twenty minutes or so seem to be crawl by. It's not until the Marie character invites Luke (her secret lover) over for a midnight rondevue that things suddenly get truly exciting. From this point, the movie shifts from slow-moving relationship drama to fast-paced sexual thriller. Even the acting, which is a little shaky in the beginning, gets very good. Perhaps the film was shot chronologically and the cast just needed some time to find their footing. I loved the entire murder scheme, for that was when all of the characters begin to show their true colors. The director did a great job revealing the Marie character. At first, she seems kind of naive and cute, and later we realize she is truly ruthless. When the script's big secret was finally revealed, I must admit that I was truly taken aback. So except for a slow opening, I would recommend Man On The Bottom for any fans of African cinema.