While the feature-length debut of director Alfonso Cuaron could be seen merely as a showcase for the tenderly sultry Claudia Ramirez—known in Mexico largely for her early telenovela roles—“Love in the Time of Hysteria” (the English release title) revives the romantic melodrama in ways that haven’t been seen north of the Rio Grande for some time.
Because at its heart, this movie is a dark comedy. More a
spoof of love sickness than a glorification of it.
It begins with the carnal pursuits of a young playboy named Tomás (Cacho). When he’s not struggling to write jingles for jalapeno commercials he tends to have sex with anyone he wants to (including a friend’s bride on her wedding day) and lives for the thrill of the chase (he races to fetch his morning paper in the buff).
But when he scorns a nurse who happens to work at his
doctor’s practice, she swaps his records with someone else’s. And that someone
else happens to be HIV-positive.
What ensues is a desperate attempt to find real love with
his neighboring tenant (Ramirez) or die trying. Literally.
Though it sort of makes light of the whole suicide thing
when it comes to rejection and self-pity, “Solo
con to Pareja” highlights all of the things that will come to define Cuaron
in his later films.
A penchant for the absurd. A knack for darkness. And a
sucker for sap. But mixed to the right proportions, what we get is something
that not only feels fresh, it also somehow manages to make us smile despite all
else.
***
Directed by:***
Alfonso Cuarón
Written by: Alfonso Cuarón & Carlos Cuarón
Produced by:
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.............associate producer
Alfonso Cuarón
Ignacio Durán Loera.............associate producer
Rosalía Salazar.................executive producer
Cast:
Daniel Giménez Cacho............Tomás Tomás
Claudia Ramírez.................Clarisa Negrete
Luis de Icaza...................Mateo Mateos
Astrid Hadad....................Teresa de Teresa
Dobrina Liubomirova.............Silvia Silva
Isabel Benet....................Gloria Gold
Toshirô Hisaki..................Takeshi
Carlos Nakasone.................Koyi
Ricardo Dalmacci................Carlos
Claudia Fernández...............Lucía
Luz María Jerez.................Paola
Nevil Wilton....................Pasmal
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