Efectos secundarios

One of my friends recommended me to go watch this movie, she had already seen it three times and thought it was fantastic; I thought that it would probably be a good comedy. It was so much more than that.

This is a smartly told story about turning 30... and realizing that not all of your dreams come true; that living here, in Mexico City has consequences, but it's also about finding yourself, taking risks, getting loose, and mostly knowing that you are not alone when it comes to feeling lost.

The directions in this film is superb, Issa Lopez is really growing as a filmmaker and as a writer, the character development is completely realistic, the cinematography is beautiful. The actors are great, and the way that comedy is developed is just great.

If you are looking for a film that has drama, smart comedy, dark irony, a fantastic soundtrack and the truth about life, you should totally watch Efectos Secundarios. It will be worth your money.

While entertaining for a rainy day on your couch filling yourself with popcorn and (diet?) coke, the film falls flat and the story lacks congruency (and sometimes coherence). Some of the performances are quite overacted, like Patricia Llaca's (Adan's "object of affection", constantly cheated by him). The plot is a mixture of a simple life of nearly middle aged people who behave like adolescents, and a sort of failing poetic philosophical tale. The only "decent" intimate scene between Marina and Ignacio gets disappointing due to the hysteria that interrupts it with a non-sense reaction of her. Most of the language is purposely vulgar but it makes most of the scenes monotonous, and Adan's inserted scenes reflecting the demons that keep him trapped into cravings for alcohol and drugs tend to be repetitive, and to me, they also pretend to emulate Stanley Kubrick's style, trying to give a surrealistic perception of reality. Being a Mexican, I believe the type of character's reaction towards their current circumstances is exaggerated by far. I think the film tries to reflect a neurotic part of our society when reaching the thirties (mainly of those who live in big cities like Mexico), but it just gets halfway with not much essence to admire. Watch it at your own risk.

This film is destined to become a classic of the new golden age of Mexican Cinema. It made me laugh out loud and it made me cry. Writer-director Issa Lopez is clearly the love child that Elaine May, Nora Ephron, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodovar, and Nancy Meyer conceived while vacationing together in Mexico.

She learned all she could from this noble parentage, and then developed an original voice that directly reflects the dreams and obstacles of 20-somethings living today -- in Mexico, or anywhere in the world.

Her characters are funny, sexy, and endearing and instantly win you over as they figure out who they are and what they are doing with their lives.

I can't wait to see Lopez' next film.

After seeing Efectos Secundarios, I realize that Issa Lopez is genuinely a well-read, versatile, sharp director and is ready to make her mark as a pioneer of Mexican and hopefully American cinema. Where will all this talent lead her next? It's nice to see a film that pulls from many different philosophies, while having a commercial, yet universal sensibility as well as one native to the environment of Mexico City. Another thing that this film has is an eclectic music score, and an exceptionally modern look for being produced entirely in Mexico. The audience I saw this film with was on the floor in laughter most of the time. A definite recommend.

I was very impressed by this movie. I decided to see it because someone had labeled this as a romantic comedy ... It's not ... it's something else ... It's a voyage you take into real life with four very strange yet familiar characters ... They are quite well written, with their own obsessions so you get the feeling that you have met people like them before. None of them are at the point they thought they would be by the time the movie starts which makes them turn back to the moment they felt it all started. I'm not going to explain the entire plot because it's not the most important thing about the movie or the reason you will enjoy it. It's the way it makes you feel, the way it makes you think about your own life. In my opinion it's worth seeing . It's romantic, crazy and poetic all at the same time, just like life ...