Lucho Villegas / Chile / 1h43
Synopsis
Daniela wanders around Santiago in search of "The City of Caesars", a strange Chilean film that is missing. She meets Bárbara and Manuel, who will support her in this quest. Music and friendship coming in!
At first glance this Lucho Villegas’ feature doesn’t look much, but in fact the pleasures it holds in store are subtle. And whereas our first viewing had occurred months ago, we were surprised to remember nearly every element of this tale in which music takes a central place (by the way, the film opens with a sung prologue / guitar close-up).
All that we enjoyed
The directing is humble but mastered. « La Ciudad de los Cesares » assumes an almost-reportage style, here very astute, in its sound as in its image. Surprising exception: a dreamlike scene right in the middle, unexpected but coming just at the right moment (plus a lovely post-credits picture).
The story is enjoyable to follow— a little investigation with side dialogues finally just as interesting, especially the conversations about art. The script here and there adds little nice details. Our favourite scenes: the ones related to a mysterious found photo, the poem in public, the magical-thinking technique, the bike running-gag. Very satisfying moral and ending too.
Regarding the cast, everything’s fine. All the actors are very natural. We particularly liked Manuel’s character (Hernán Cubillos González).
Harmless imperfections
A couple of scenes could’ve ended a bit earlier, and sometimes digressions last long (we mean: when the heroine or the film’s main subject are not directly concerned). Moreover, musical interludes can be repetitive (actually the idea isn’t bad, but maybe not with similar songs and imagery…). Sporadically you’ll notice a few injudicious editing choices (some of the fades or dissolves).
Another scenario’s puzzling approach: the Daniela’s character (Elisa Osorio Rivera) is quite passive and nearly neutral during the two first thirds of the flick— relatable but placid, more an observer than a protagonist. But she’ll emotionally get involved better in the story’s last part.
Conclusion
A feel-good/philosophical quality film, clever from start to finish, that we liked to discover and rewatch. Must-see.
S.I.
« La Ciudad de los Cesares » joins official selection for the Little Croco Festival’s first edition, nominated in the Musical category.
Trailer:
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