Source The Hollywood Reporter
URL Link
Date January 24, 2008
PARK CITY -- A taut, stylish drama brimming with heated sex and
illicit desire, Ricardo de Montreuil's "Mancora" represents a
noteworthy sophomore feature from the Peruvian director.
The film's appealing cast, alluring locations and fluent visual
style comprise distinct assets for a specialty distributor capable
of following up on the boxoffice accomplishments of de Montreuil's
2006 debut feature, "La Mujer de mi Hermano," released domestically
by Lionsgate.
Moody 21-year-old Santiago "Santi" Pautrat (Jason Day) snaps out of
his smoldering self-absorption when his father -- a faded pop singer
-- jumps off a bridge to his death, leaving his son wracked with
guilt.
Santi blames himself for not spending more time with his dad, and
things only worsen when he flunks his economics studies at
university and his girlfriend breaks off their relationship.
Losing his job is the final straw. With few ties to keep him in
Lima, Santi plans a road trip north to the beach town of Mancora.
The arrival of his attractive older stepsister Ximena (Elsa Pataky),
a photographer from New York whom he hasn't seen since their mother
died five years before, and her wealthy, petulant husband Inigo
(Enrique Murciano) force Santi to revise his solo getaway plan and
the trio set out together in his dad's old Mercedes sedan.
Ximena and Inigo's rocky relationship feeds Inigo's petty jealousy
over the closeness between Ximena and Santi. Tensions gradually
build with nasty comments until Ximena impetuously decides to leave
with Santi en route to surf a famous beach praised by Batu (Phellipe
Haagensen), a hitchhiker they pick up along the way. The pair
continues on to laid-back Mancora with Batu, who invites them to a
street carnival where Santi is drawn into a drunken brawl with a
local hard case after his girlfriend makes a public pass at Santi.
Following their night of heavy drinking, Santi and Ximena end up on
a beach where they are forced to confront the sexual tension
building between them, fueled by significant glances and shared
intimacy. Inigo's unexpected arrival in Mancora further aggravates
the siblings' complicated situation, as they all set off on a binge
of ill-advised relentless partying that irrevocably strains their
already frayed relations.
The attractive international cast, anchored by Day's intense
channeling of Santi's personal demons, delivers solid support for
the colorful if occasionally overheated script by Oscar Torres,
Angel Ibarguren and Juan Luis Nugent, particularly Pataky as the
perilously conflicted Ximena.
The film's energetic pacing, proficient camerawork and broad-minded
approach allow de Montreuil to balance the foreboding that
overshadows the narrative with a sense of expectant possibility,
though the open-ended conclusion may prove perplexing for some.