TIFF Wednesday, Sept 14

I got a bit busy today with other things, so only went to one film.

Americano is directed by Mathieu Demy, who is the son of noted French directors Agnes Varda and Jacques Demy. The cast includes Demy, Geraldine Chaplin, Chiara Mastrioianni, and Salma Hayek. Demy uses some clips from one of his mother's movies as a jumping off point, and developed a script about a French man who goes to Los Angeles, where his mother has lived and died, in order to close out her estate. Very promising, and although it had some potential as a 'journey' film, it fell short of good.

The main character meets some of the people he had known when he lived in LA with his mother, but is haunted by the name Lola, who was a childhood friend of his. He eventually finds a note where his mother leaves her LA condo ( in a very modest neighbourhood, btw) to Lola. Mathieu tries to find out where Lola has gone, and is led to a seedy side of Tijuana, where he is introduced to Lola, a stripper and prostitute. The journey into Tijuana is hell for Mathieu and he eventually is left, beat up and without passport and money. Eventually, he is led out of this hell and his own personal hell.

It tends to be a bit overwrought, with too many coincidences and plot details that don't make sense. Unsatisfying, to say the least.