Carmin profond

The plot has been commented by other viewers, so let's move on. I saw this movie when it came out in theaters and loved it, especially the development of the plot (based on the same true events portrayed in Leonard Kastle's cult classic "The Honeymoon Killers") and the way Ripstein expertly evolves from black humor to suspense to bloody tragedy. I also loved the bolero-like title (say it in Spanish -Profundo Carmesí- beauuutiful), the choice of colors (thick greens, reds, blacks and browns), the set decoration, the actors, the all-imposing Catholic symbols and Catholic guilt which are so present in Latin American cultures...

So I thought it was a film about SICK love and misleading appearances, how harmless-looking people can hide sick violent personalities that may ignite under certain circumstances, never to return to what they were before.

A few years later, I happened to see an interview with Ripstein about this film, which urged me to see it again. He said it was a film about the dangers of romantic passion, tout court -- in the sense that passionate love is just one step away from isolation from society's values and conventions - and I thought "yes, this makes sense!". "Profundo..." is (also) about the pathological potential of any passionate love: the anti-social, selfish, self-consuming and potentially destructive behavior a love affair can trigger, to the risk of excluding friends, family and professional life from the lovers' agenda, and when nothing really matters except each other, their plans and their being together against all odds or reasons. Coral's behavior, dumping her children, lying, stealing, killing, marching on regardless of everyone else's feelings or actual physical integrity is a depiction of a sick personality...or is just a step or two further than the average person "madly" in love??

"Profundo Carmesí" is great, but do I have to mention not to expect anything uplifting? My vote: a good 8 out of 10, just don't see it if you've been recently dumped by your lover/husband/wife; it might give you bad ideas!!

Coral Fabre is a troubled chubby middle-aged nurse and a single mom to two kids. She has a fling with charming Nicolás Estrella. She continues pursuing him despite him stealing money from her. She abandons her kids to follow him in a crime spree across the country. She pretends to be his sister while he dates older lonely women. Their crimes escalate leaving a trail of broken hearts.

This is a Mexican film similar to the American film The Honeymoon Killers which dramatizes the story of "Lonely Hearts Killers", the true crime partners Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck. The style is stripped down and minimal. These two are solid actors delivering compelling performances. Oddly for me, the most emotional scene is when she abandons her kids. These are troubled souls. She is possibly the more troubling of the two.

Viewed the film for the first time last night. I was familiar with the Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck 'Lonely Hearts Club' murders for years. I had no idea it was turned into a film adaptation. I thought the film was done extremely well. It's disheartening to see two people who seem so insecure go to these lengths to feel they are loved by someone, seemingly anyone. Nicolas who seems to be in total control at the start of the movie, looses the ball.. and Coral, runs with it. He is a confidence trickster who has finally has met his match in Coral, she is just what he was so in need of, a woman who is willing to do anything it takes to be with him. This giving him a boost in his waning self confidence. Leaving her two young children at a doorstep of an orphanage, because he can't be bothered with them, was all she needed to prove her loyalty to him. They begin to portray themselves as brother and sister, in a scam across the countryside to take advantage of widows/lonely women on their own. This starts to go painfully wrong from the beginning. Coral agrees to not be jealous of Nicolas' affections/pursuits toward the women he is out to scam, after all, it's just part of the act. It seems a harder task for her than she assumed it would be. They manage to stay calm and in control all the way through this. The most bizarre thing about this film,is that it really did happen. As, I mentioned it was loosely based on the aforementioned murders. Although mainly a fictional work, some of the mechanics, were there. The strong need in some for submission from another. The longing for a loyal lover, romance and excitement. This remarkable blend of dark lust and true crime won't disappoint.

"Deep Crimson", a subtitled Mexican film, tells of a man who uses his hair-piece, good looks, and charm to bilk mature women out of their money. When he woos a very large and homely woman longing to be loved, she divests herself of her children, insinuates herself into his life, and goes off scamming with him while pretending be his sister. The backbone of the story is the strange symbiosis which develops between the partner/lover duo as we watch their relationship grow deeper and their scheming more nefarious. A moderately entertaining though schizophrenic film, "Deep Crimson" is too much of a comedy to be taken seriously and too much of a drama to be funny. The result is a marginally engaging film which will play best to those with a taste for black comedies from south of the border. (B)

Arturo Ripstein's "Deep Crimson" is based on the same Lonely Heart Killers case that inspired "The Honeymoon Killers". Regina Orozco is riveting as the unattractive and fundamentally unlikeable nurse who abandons her children to take up with Daniel Giménez Cacho's pathetic, balding gigolo. They answer letters from lonely widows with the intention of robbing them, but jealousy and general incompetence lead them into a string of murders. Despite the sordid and depressing subject matter, the film has a distinct satirical edge and is often quite funny. Highly recommended, especially for fans of the earlier film.