Sabor tropical

Travel, particularly to Latin America, is of great interest to me. After reading previous reviews, I was looking forward to seeing Sabor Tropical, although there was an element throughout the reviews that was vaguely troubling to me. After watching the "director's cut", I feel compelled to write a review that will spare others from an awful waste of time and money. First, most of the movie is presented as footage from a hand held video camera--the cinematography is therefore terrible. The perspective of Panama is street scenes behind one of the characters that could have been shot in Newark, New Jersey, or out of a moving car window of sky and fields that could have been in Iowa. The scenes of Carnival were shot at night with a voice over introduction that sounded like it was being read from a travel brochure. Second, the "star" is a narcissistic exhibitionist (to be kind) who is periodically referred to in the movie as resembling Colin Ferrel or James Dean--he doesn't. Finally, production values, story line, writing, acting, and directing are among some the the worst I've ever seen. Spare yourself.

The premise of the film is young, cocky Californian has been hired to shoot footage of the Carnival in Panama. He makes arrangements ahead of time to hook up with a woman he has met online but discovers he has been catfished after he arrives.

The blending of the story of what is happening in the Californian's life and the "documentary" he is being paid to film are woven together so completely that many people get sucked into believing it is just an odd travelogue. I was part of a film programming team that viewed this film as a prospective festival entry but most of the team felt this way. The style of the film is that masterful.

I do wonder if cutting back on the Carnival footage might have allowed the dramatic story to be clearer. You are really watching two films: One about the filmmaker and the other what the filmmaker is capturing.

Leitch is most of the film, and his portrayal of the confused, selfish California yuppy is multi-dimensional in that you see his swaggering and how that masks his insecurities and inner pain. The expression on his face in the final scene is haunting.

How did this movie ever get labeled as a thriller? I must have fallen asleep during those thriller sequences. In other words, there are no thrilling parts, no suspenseful parts and not a mystery to be found. Unless you try to count the online event as the mystery. It is not a mystery but an unfortunate occurrence that anyone using the internet should be wise to. The movie is nothing more than a boring rendition of a Panamanian travelogue with some repulsive violence near the end.

If you're interested in seeing the lead, Matthew Leitch, in various states of undress or nakedness, then the movie does provide that. Otherwise, good luck at finding anything else in the movie that's worth the wasting of your time.

I heard about this film in the Panamanian media because there was scandal surrounding its release. I recently purchased the DVD not knowing what to expect. I live in Panama City but I'm from the town where this film was shot, Las Tablas, so I was compelled to see what all this film was is all about. I was very pleasantly surprise because I was proud to see both Panama and the carnival well represented here. If you have never been to the Carnival of Las Tablas, this would be a good film to watch to be familiar with it. the story is documentary style. The story follows the journey of a reporter who comes to Panama to do a video diary of his experience at carnival. He soon gets involved in the hype of the festivities and sooner than later ends up with some interesting experiences along the way. The film builds to a scandalous ending that is very unexpected and powerful. It leaves you wondering what happened and why. The film is very good yet very, very violent towards the ending but satisfying. If you are looking to experience the high energy and festivities of one of Panama's and Latin America's most popular events with an open mind and something different from the usual, you will find Sabor Tropical an fun inde movie to watch.

The basic problem is the status of too very personal film of Sabor tropical. The good intentions are obvious but obvious is, in same measure, the narcissismus of main actor.

As intention, it is a (fake)documentary but only as intention. Not for not very inspired filming, not for interventions or for nakedness but for the feeling about a vacantion film, perfect to see near family and friends , source of jokes and good moments, fun and exclamations.

The bad thing - the film desires be more than that. And , maybe, in essence, this is the just only problem about it.

So, an easy film and, maybe, a happy / proud director about it.