Temporada de patos

This is not the sort of movie you can recommend to friends without some significant reservations. The pacing can be excruciatingly slow. The movie takes place on a single Sunday afternoon and evening. Many questions are raised and few are answered. If you are not particularly interested in the vicissitudes of early adolescence, especially in boys, there may be little in this film to hold your interest. Creatively filmed in black and white, the movie imparts a sense of what it must be like to live on the margins of Mexico City in an anonymous, highrise building in an anonymous, gray neighborhood. When the power goes out the boys and their uninvited guests become increasingly involved with each other, sharing feelings, fantasies and a bit of their past. The boys budding sexuality is delicately and tastefully portrayed. This is one of the strengths of the film. Other issues, such as the effect of divorce on a young teenager, loneliness, and a sense missed opportunities in the one adult character are raised, in varying depth. The pizza deliver guy attempts to impart some of his wisdom to one of the boys. Often the camera moves in very close on the actors. If you would like to look in on two boys, good friends, home alone on a Sunday afternoon, as their routines and expectations are slowly turned upside down by a slightly older girl, a sensitive, alienated Pizza delivery man, and some very special brownies, you will like Duck Season.

Not only Fernando Eimbcke challenged himself to shoot a movie inside of an apartment but he casted three kids without any experience in acting. The result is an original realistic movie with truly funny young characters. And yes: there are guns, drugs, flirting and bare buttocks but in a unworried way -enough to be fun and not scary. It is Eimbcke's opera prima for a long movie and he proved that his experience directing music videoclips and comedic short movies is a good foundation for this movie. He already got seven "mayahueles" at the Guadalajara Film Festival, a MTV Movie Award and he got his chance of showing Duck Season at the International Critics Week in Cannes 2004.

If you want to have a good time, go to this movie. Notice I didn't feel impelled to be pretentious and say film. This black and white movie is like a Woody Allen film but with at least two of the characterizations more three-dimensional. I won't ever forget the excitement of sitting in the front row of a 1200 person theater and hearing everyone laugh at once. And the excitement or of seeing video games widescreen just a few feet away--I was on the edge of my seat. Another great scene: watching whether the pizza deliveryman would beat the clock as he raced to the top floor of the apartment building. And then there was the visiting neighbor girl who could give Diane Keaton a run for the money. The key to this wonderful comedy in its perfect timing. After the movie which I saw at the Festival of Cortometraje in Guanajuato, Mexico, I met Paula Markevich, who polished the script. She told me she kept changing lines while she watched the boys rehearse. A film made with tenderness, humor and care. Enjoy, enjoy!

As usual, IMDb voters are VERY easily entertained. "Duck Season" was a big disappointment to me. It is played more for laughs although there were some poignant moments, too. Unfortunately, I was starting to feel as bored as some of the characters. Could have done without the "dead animals" scene, it really wasn't necessary. The film was also shot in B&W which surprised me but seemed appropriate. There isn't a lot of meat here, but if you like character studies, it isn't bad. Enrique Arreola as the pizza guy gives a very good performance. The younger actors weren't that convincing.

5/10

I just saw Duck Season today at the Palm Springs Film Festival and loved this film. People of all ages were in the theater and we all were laughing throughout the film. This film was great on all levels. I liked that it was filmed in black and white which was a nice touch. The actors were great. The story was fantastic! The director did a great job with the creativity of this film. I marked "Superb" on my ballot. This film needs to be released!!! It would be very popular due to its artistic flare, and people want to see movies that move them in all directions which this film does. A funny, creative, playful, thoughtful film!

Thanks to all who made this film and shared it with us!

Roxie Roco :)