black and white - FilmRoot

Flies (Mexico) – Caught in the Mexican Healthcare System

Flies Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Flies is a warm-hearted drama set in Mexico City that follows a grumpy old woman and a young boy both tangled in the web of the Mexican healthcare system. Watch it if you’re a fan of arcade games (a form of Space Invaders plays a significant part in the narrative), to navigate the brutalist buildings of Mexico City through the eyes of a 9 year-old, or if you’re simply a fan of modern Mexican films shot in black and white (see Roma, Gueros, or We Shall Not Be Moved).

From: Mexico, North America
Watch: IMDb, Trailer
Next: We Shall Not Be Moved, Gueros, Death of Mr. Lazarescu

Flies – The Breakdown

I was a little worried that this film was going to be a bit too loyal to its title. Five minutes in and all you’ve seen is an old lady (Olga) trying to swat a fly buzzing around her apartment. Breaking Bad had a 47-minute episode directed by Rian Johnson which follows the main characters trying to kill a fly in the meth lab for the majority of the episode, so my fear wasn’t unfounded. Luckily, the film soon introduces Cristian and his dad, who are looking for a place to stay in the city while his mum is in hospital.

The faults of the Mexican healthcare system bring Olga and Cristian together. Olga has just put a room in her apartment up for rent because she needs money to afford to remove her bunions. Meanwhile, Cristian and his dad need a cheap place to stay in the city whilst his mum is in hospital. They’re far from home, most likely because the specialists she needs can only be found in Mexico City. The same faults of the Mexican healthcare system also fuel Cristian’s relationship with Olga. Cristian’s dad only leaves Cristian alone at Olga’s apartment because he has to find work to pay for his wife’s desperately needed medicine. As the chain of events revolves around the healthcare system, Flies becomes a subtle critique of a system that fails to fully meet its citizens needs.

Despite the social critique which underlying the movie, Flies is a very warm-hearted film that offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of young Cristian and the solitary Olga. Through Cristian’s eyes and likability, the film takes us into the everyday corners of the city: the comedors (daily eateries), brutalist apartment blocks, and even the hospital’s security guard posts. Director Fernando Eimbcke conveys Cristian’s perspective naturally through these everyday shots and interactions, making the film a wonderful modern addition to the recent black and white releases showcasing neo-realist Mexico City alongside Gueros, We Shall Not Be Moved, and Eimbcke’s debut Duck Season.

Roma – Mexico City Bathed in Black & White Beauty

Roma Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you love great film or want to be guided around 1970s Mexico City, you’ve come to the right place. Roma is one of the best films you’ll see this century. It’s stream of consciousness narrative feels like life and memory, and the acting and cinematography is a visual treat. Open you’re mind and immerse yourself in Roma.

From: Mexico, North America
Watch: Trailer, Netflix
Next: 8½, Boyhood, Ixcanul

Dawn – A Modern Soviet Epic from Latvia

Dawn Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Dawn is timeless. What it lacks in depth and clarity it makes up for in style. You’ll probably lose track of what’s happening more than once because of the snappy cuts and quick camera movements. However, you won’t care because it’s mesmerising. The beautiful black and white cinematography and the epic myth of Pavlik Morozov will immerse you in the chaos of Soviet Latvia.

From: Latvia, Europe
Watch: Trailer, Amazon Prime, Amazon Rent
Next: Battleship Potemkin, The Exterminating Angel, Soy Cuba

The Project of the Century – The Death of Cuba’s Bright Future

The Project of the Century Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Why Watch The Project of the Century?

For an inter-generational family rivalry
Witness the effects of a country falling from the world’s attention
To visit a living failed nuclear project

From: Cuba, North America
Watch: Trailer, Vimeo, Tubi
Next: The Clash, Kings of Nowhere, I Am Cuba

The Breakdown

The Project of the Century opens like an old science fiction movie with green font on a black screen. Obviously this looks dated to modern eyes, and that is exactly the directors intention. For in this film, Carlos Machado Quintela conveys the failed hope of a nation. A Cuba that had so much hope for a prosperous future but was doomed to failure. It’s presented in the incomplete Cuban Nuclear plant where a father and son have come together with their macho grandfather for a strange time of bonding and reminiscing.

After a few stock images of nuclear power plants and white women on beaches signifying the promise of the science Cuban was invested in, the colors switch to a black and white present day (2012) to signify the dead hope. Instead of the vivid colors and vibrant life portrayed in the old tourist agency style videos, the actual location now looks more like a dystopia you might recognize from High Rise or Ion de Sosa’s off-season Benindorm based sci-fi Androids Dream. There’s just a cluster of high rise flats without any signs of life besides the three men, surrounded by abandoned construction sites. It’s meant to be a place meant to be brimming with people, but instead of rockets being launched, there’s just the smoke of fumigators patrolling the block.

The three generations of the film (grandfather, father, son) represent the dying hope across the three generations of Cuba. The grandfather, having grown up during the revolution, still dreams of the brilliant promise of Cuba’s early days under Castro. He’s boisterous and stubborn, and refuses to listen to the despair of the younger generations. His son, now in his middle age, studied abroad in the USSR and Germany with some of the world’s top scientists. He was assigned with working on the ‘Project of the Century’ – the building of Cuba’s nuclear power plants, supposed to provide power to the country. However, after investing years of his life in the country and project, the USSR collapsed, leaving Cuba without allies and the resources needed to finish the great project. As a result, his life’s work was for nothing, and the excitement for a prosperous Cuban future was vanquished. His son, a man in his mid-20s is a symbol of the lack of hope and pride in present day Cuba. He’s jobless, has no direction, and disappoints his older relatives.

Having grown up in different eras, having been apart for some time, and being men, they argue and fight. Without jobs, hope for the future, and direction, fighting is just something to pass the time until the eldest dies and they can finally move on from Cuba’s brilliant history and pride.

What to Watch Next

Firstly, it’s worth watching I Am Cuba to feel the optimism that filled Cuba following the revolution that has died in The Project of the Century. It’s vibrant and full of energy to contrast with the darkness of this film.

You could also watch Kings of Nowhere or Once Upon a Time in Venezuela – two documentaries featuring towns that have seen better days. The former features a town consumed by a dammed lake, whilst the latter features a town being polluted by sediment.

Or if you’re looking for more macho family antics, check out The Clash. It features a Peruvian teenager going to live with his macho Peruvian dad in Canada.