Dos abrazos

I saw this film at the Festival de Cine Nuevo Latinoamericano in a city we're not supposed to visit. The taxi-driver character links the two parts of the film when at the end of the first tale he appears and sees a young woman and a preteen boy embracing.

The first story showing what leads to that embrace is a slice of life, most of it taking place in a Mexico City supermarket. On its own, I'd rate it a 7.

In the second half of the film, we watch the taxi-driver chauffeuring an unmistakably unlikeable passenger. When the guy collapses, the driver takes him to a hospital where the busy staff keeps pushing the driver into inappropriate responsibility. Soon we see him entering the rich man's apartment where he tries on the man's leather jacket and begins a double life--the most involving part of the film. The plot thickens when the man's young daughter knocks on the door. I won't spoil the rest, will just say throughout I felt glued to my seat.

What a surprise when the credits showed the film was written by Paula Markovitch who did the wonderful low-budget Woody-Allen-style film Temporada de Patos. Keep your eye out for films in which Paula is involved. I would rate the second part a 10 if it stood on its own.