Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Batalla en el cielo

This movie is really difficult to understand. There are several scenes that I have not yet figured out what they mean or even what happened. I think I am going to watch the movie a second time to fully grasp what’s going on. It is challenging to analyze the film without a good understanding of it, but I’m going to try.

The movie is rather slow compare to the other movies that we’ve seen. Marcos, the main character, does not express much emotion. Actually, most of the characters in the movie express little emotion. They barely conversed with each other and even when Marcos hugged his wife, the whole action was as though it was in slow motion too. This slow motion creates a heavy and overwhelming atmosphere. I have never been to Mexico so I am not sure if it is a realistic portrayal of the place. However I was always under the impression that Mexico City is busy and crowded where people move at a fast pace?! That being said, I am not suggesting that the characters are completely indifferent. They show their emotion in more discrete ways.

I couldn’t figure out how the last scene played into the murder of Ana. If Marcos loved Ana, why would he kill her instead of turning himself in? When he told her that he was going to be away, she did not seem too concerned or bothered by it; perhaps it was why he decided to kill her instead of turning himself in?! Marcos seemed to care much more about Ana than how much Ana cared about him. When he picked her up from the airport, she was focused on talking on the phone rather than having a conversation with him. He also seriously considered turning himself in because that was what Ana said.

And here are a couple questions that I have:

At the end of the movie, what happened to Marcos? Did he die?

The last scene with him and Ana, when did it happen? Before Ana went away? Before they had sex? After they had sex? I just can’t fully comprehend their relationship…

2 comments:

  1. I agree with practically everything you just said. The movie has a lot in it, mainly from a visual point of view, and it's hard to take it all in in one viewing. This was the second time that I saw the movie, and I still have no idea about some of the scenes...like the church bell scene...I don't understand the meaning of the three men starting up the bell, but the rain being so loud that you can't hear the bell...Also, you're right about the little emotion shown, and because of that and the minimal dialogue, that's why I think that this movie is more about the way that they filmed it than the actual content.

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  2. I disagree with that the movie is more about how it is filmed than the actual content. The film shows the interaction between the working class and a mid to higher class. The relationship between Marcos and Ana shows a lot of this, and the interaction of people in different space that are not their normal ones shows a lot about society.

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