An offbeat charmer from south-of-the-border, Fernando Kalife's "7 Dias" sets its tale of Quixotic dreamers and lowlife criminals within the context of a loopy pop culture obsession.
The obsession, in this case, is the Irish band U2, which is scheduled to perform in Mexico as part of a worldwide tour. Claudio Caballero, a fledgling concert promoter, decides he's going to find a way to lure the group to his own hometown, even if that means having to deal with some mighty shifty and unsavory characters to make that event a reality. In fact, Caballero's been given seven short days to make good on his promise of booking the band - or face the consequences at the hands of the Mexican mafia.
There's not a great deal of substance to what is essentially a high-concept, wish-fulfillment fantasy, but the sheer originality of the premise - along with the breezy, tongue-in-cheek and slightly sentimental tone of the work - goes a long way towards winning us over to the movie's side. To top it off, there are engaging performances by Eduardo Arroyuelo as Caballero, Martha Higareda as his supportive girlfriend, and Jaime Camil as a soft-hearted tough guy who views Bono as nothing less than a living saint sent to earth to intercede for all those wise enough to put their faith in him. And who would argue with that?
