directed by: Fernando Eimbcke
starring: Enrique Arreola; Diego Cataño; Daniel Miranda
| Duck
Season (Mexico;
90 min.) directed by: Fernando Eimbcke starring: Enrique Arreola; Diego Cataño; Daniel Miranda |
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| Chris says: "Here's an early candidate for next
year's Buried Treasure award: this engaging black-and-white Mexican indie
is about two fourteen-year-old best friends, Flama (Daniel Miranda) and
Moko (Diego Catano). On one Sunday afternoon, they have Flama's mother's
apartment to themselves and plan on doing nothing but playing X-Box, drinking
cokes and ordering pizza. However, not long after their sixteen-year-old
neighbor Rita (Danny Perea) asks to use their kitchen to bake a cake (because
her oven's not working), the power goes out. With the addition of Ulises
(Enrique Arreloa), an older, initially hapless-seeming pizza delivery man,
the four of them spend the day figuring out creative ways to amuse themselves
and pass the time within the apartment, which is located in a vast high
rise housing development. "Much like Ulises, Fernando Eimbcke's film is unassuming and unremarkable at first, but as more about each character is developed and revealed, it grows on you considerably. The minimalist style, complete with brief fade-in, fade-out transitions, is surely influenced by both Ozu and early Jarmusch (both are thanked in the credits), but Eimbcke is less formally rigorous than the former and less deadpan but more emphatic than the latter. Sweet, poetic, and not at all pretentious, this little gem of a film reminds me why I value indie cinema so much. If you see this one, make sure to sit through the closing credits for a fun surprise at the very end. 5 cats" |
| Gil says: "I also want to encourage everyone to
go check out DUCK SEASON. I saw this film at last year's San Francisco International Film Festival and was almost certain that it would fall in the category of those great festival films that never get distributed. But thanks to Alfonso Cuaron and his newly acquired influence with Warner Brothers from having directed HARRY POTTER III, he was able to help this film get distributed by Warner Independent. "The best description of the film referred to it as Jim Jarmusch meets THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Hopefully it plays at the Kendall for another week. 5 cats" |
| Michael says: "This little Mexican film surely would
have passed by completely unnoticed if it hadn’t found a champion
in Alfonso Cuarón of Y tu mamá también and Harry Potter & the
Prisoner of Azkaban fame. He executive producer credit surely got this
film its brief distribution run in the U.S. In any event, director Fernando
Eimbcke’s charming little film is an accomplished look at coming-of-age.
DUCK SEASON plays like the work of a seasoned filmmaker, and the fact that
it is Eimbcke’s first feature speaks to his talent as both a director
and as the film’s co-screenwriter.
"Fourteen-year-old’s Flama and Moko are best friends who have a
day alone in Flama’s apartment. They plan to spend the day playing
video games and drinking cola. But unexpected visitors, like their sixteen-year-old
neighbor Rita, and the pizza delivery man Ulises, along with periodic
power outages, and the accidental discovery of some pot, turn their day
into whimsical adventure leading from childhood to adulthood. This is
a quiet film focusing on tone and character rather than the often frenetic
or violent Mexican films that have been gaining popularity of late. 3 ½ cats. |