Déficit

I'm shocked that 195 reviewers (so far) have given this film an average under 4. I saw it today at the Toronto Film Festival and it was extremely well received.

On the surface, this is the story of a house party in Mexico. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Cristobel, a rich young man at a turning point in his life. He is trying to deal with other people's expectations for him, and his own wishes.

Although it isn't plot intensive, it does effectively portray class/racial divide in Mexican society.

Gael, Luz and the writer were at the screening. In fact, Gael has been at almost everything in town and has really shown himself to be a wonderfully warm, intelligent and sociable person. He is the sort of actor/director we always hope to encounter - he's promoting his film and himself and having a great time doing it. It's a refreshing change from the other too-busy, too- cool crew that miss screenings even when they are in town.

Interesting film; great job by Gael and team.

I think this film was a great 'fly on the wall' experience. It was like the Mexican version of 'KIDS', only not as explicit and depressing.

They basically showed what was going on in a young Mexican man's life through a party at his house. But here is the point. The lead character, Cristobal, is upper class and it focused on his interactions with a childhood friend, who is also his family's grounds-keeper/ servant. How often do we see this side of Mexican daily life? This movie evoked more sympathy for the struggle required for a Mexican in his homeland AND abroad.

The filmmakers made this movie and put Gael in the drivers seat to show a Mexico that we have never experienced in a film. It takes us from ignorance to appreciation. You see this very trendy/hot-now actor in, what is perhaps, his real environment. Although I am not sure he is that racist, I feel that putting us in his shoes for a bit really makes us take a step back and think twice before judging a huge part of our population that is really making a positive impact here in America.

The motive behind making this movie was to show what goes on in Mexico, where they come from. I am a Programmer for a Film Festival, and I have had to watch some really horrible stuff. For me, this was a breath of fresh air. More of a learning experience.

Thanks, L

Some films are so bad, they're good. Meaning "fun" or "entertaining" or at least "interesting"... But few films can claim to be so dreadful, you actually feel physical pain while viewing them. So bad are these damned few that you don't experience them or watch them: you "endure" them. This is the mother of all such films! "Deficit" is without a doubt the most inept and atrociously awful film ever made. Its poorness is so extreme that of itself it is the film's strongest selling emphasis. The script is non-existent, the acting makes Steven Seagal look like a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the editing could have less horrendously botched by a blind Eskimo with no arms. It is also painfully slow. this film makes its approximately 70 minute running time and make you feel like you've aged ten years. That's what makes a film truly bad: the fact that despite its overbearing weaknesses it isn't even entertaining!

I think Gael did a great job. I was surprised by how good the story was, even though it didn't have a conventional "feel" with a defined beginning, middle, and end, it kept me interested throughout. I think since I am from Mexico I was able to get all the subtleties, too. I was expecting something very raw, like some movies he's done before, or maybe something that was shocking just for the sake of being shocking, but this was just refreshing, interesting, contemporary and thought-provoking. I'm still thinking about the whole class issue and how some things seem unavoidable depending on where you grew up... Thank you Gael!!!

The plot ...??? what plot? Discussing it after its screening last night, my friends and I decided that there was no plot, just some weak sub-plots. They are all over the shop. The race issue is brushed upon but it is not dealt with in any depth. As is said above, I don't mind a film about nothing if at least it is entertaining, but unfortunately this one fails at that too. There seems to just be little incidents with random dialogue in between. It just isn't consistent. Many things are hinted at but most are not fully expressed. I didn't care about what happened to the characters, there was never enough detail for any of them. In the end I felt I'd have enjoyed watching a party I'd filmed on my phone instead. Come on Gael, we know you can do better than that! :)