robert-temple-1 Once in a while, a film appears that restores one's faith in the cinema as a medium, and reminds one of its possibilities for opening a window on a magical world. This is one such film. The film is unconventional, and proceeds at a slow pace certain to madden even further the madding crowd. But for those who like to know more about 'real life', especially in unfamiliar surroundings, this slice of life provides a unique vision. The main characters are a man and his son, and the man's elderly father. It seems that the man and his son really are just that, whereas the grandfather is an actor. The man is a Mexican 'of Mayan Indian descent', though he does not look like a Lacandone to me, so he must be from another tribe descended from the Maya of this particular region (the Lacandone, who are pure Maya, being much further inland, living in depths of the forests), and his son has come to visit him on the Mexican coast from his Italian mother, who lives in Rome. It is the boy's introduction to a timeless way of life which in many respects is thousands of years old. The setting is the remarkable Mexican heritage site of Banco Chinchorro, a coral reef in the sea near the ancient Maya centres of Quintana Roo and Cozumel, in the Caribbean off south-eastern Mexico. The father and grandfather live the lives of simple fishermen in a hut on stilts just off the shore. The film features a great deal of undersea photography showing them spearing lobsters on the seabed without oxygen tanks, but only snorkels. The young Mexican director Pedro Gonzalez Rubio, who studied at the London Film School, has made this amazing film with himself as writer, cameraman and editor, and apparently the assistance of only two other people apart from the cast. He says he wanted to show life 'in the middle of the sea, in the place of origins'. He certainly succeeded in doing that, for there is a timeless quality to this film. It makes such a difference in a feature film which is not a documentary to see real people doing real things in real places rather than the perpetual parade of illusion which is what feature films normally are. The life portrayed here in the house on stilts and in the sea, the lack of any watch or clock, the entire immersion in 'what happens naturally' (often personified as 'Nature') is a salutary lesson to us all, prisoners as we are of a rigidly systematized and over-structured reality which is really a false reality. The people in this film are living a dream, and it is a true dream, whereas we are living a nightmare, and it is a false one, a monstrous parody of life invented and enacted by maniacs. One of the touching emotional details in this film is the friendship between the boy and a wild egret whom he names Blancquita. Although the little white bird has yellow eyes, when the boy draws it, he gives it blue eyes. Frigate birds and a young crocodile also feature as characters in the film. Rubio is a poet, and his filmed poem is a masterpiece.

reedkr29 This film tells a beautiful story about a family divided my the absence of love between two parents and their common love for their son Natan. Natan travels from Italy to spend some time with his father and grandfather in Banco Chinchorr. Because Natan's father and grandfather are fishermen his spend much of his time in and on the clear blue waters of Banco Chinchorro, an atoll reef lying off the southeast coast of the Municipality of Othón P. Blanco in Quintana Roo, Mexico, near Belize. A lovely movie all can enjoy, especially if you are looking for a delightful movie at the pace of paradise. This film has my on the next flight to Mexico.

asc85 It's true that not really very much is going on in this movie, so if that's what you're looking for, this is definitely not a movie for you. I usually prefer that something is going on, but I found the movie to be very interesting and very sweet. The relationship between the father and his young son seemed so real, genuine, and loving. Things were always shown in a very understated way, which also contributed to its realism. Movies like this can never be made in Hollywood, for the mass audience would be running out of the theater asking for their money back after the first 10 minutes. But because the critical reviews were primarily positive, and it was only 73 minutes long, I wanted to give it a chance. I'm glad I did. It's definitely worth a look.

PJ Cats It is so easy to criticize this film that I won't do it. I mean, say things like 'involuntarily looking at someone's holiday pictures', 'no storyline whatsoever', 'failed comparison of nature vs city life' (where's the city life?), 'glacial pace', 'eco-rubbish', 'an inverted beauty and the beast' and you're probably right. Me, I'm just glad I was already divorced before I got to see this film. If I had gone to the theater with the x-Mrs, she'd be off about five minutes into the film, only to reappear about three months later. We'd then have the following conversation:'Where have YOU been?''Away. Don't look so angry. I can do as I please, can't I?' 'Well, if you pay for it yourself.''See, that's how you do it, always playing on your power. That's pathetic, really.' 'I hear you went to Mexico.''No I didn't. It's not your business anyway.''Your friend Julia showed me a postcard you sent her. Rather it was a photograph of you and some guy who seemed familiar to me.''That's no business of yours. How dare you invade my privacy!''I didn't. I didn't exactly ask to be shown that picture. Anyhow, what were you up to? Also, you're not pregnant, are you?''How can I be, if you won't sleep with me?''How can I, if you're off to Mexico? Now will you please tell me what went on?''I can't, I'm frightened and I think you're going to hit me. I'm off to the women's lib!'I'm lucky to have gotten off without financial consequences. That was money well spent, on that expensive lawyer. Anyhow, if you'll excuse me. I have just decided to switch my genes to gay mode. I'm off to some island somewhere, to spend the rest of my life fishing, drinking moonshine and getting a nice tan. The gay stuff is a bit repulsive, but I might get used to it. I mean, I used to get used to a woman, how bad can it get?Goodbye.(to those who think this is not a film review: 'Alamar' is a film about the child of an Italian woman and a Mexican fisherman. The film is no more than a series of shots of life in Mexico. The man is extremely good looking, very athletic and tanned and, well, attractive. The film really focuses quite heavily on his physical features, which contrast rather starkly to those of the woman. From here you can go back to the beginning of my review.)