Someone Has to Die - a film review

It's astonishing that people are talking about this film as if it was proof the the Spanish-speaking world is now producing the same kind of quality films that Hollywood is capable of.

Someone Has to Die is worth watching, if you can handle characters who, with one or two exceptions, all deserve to be in the running for this year's "Should have been smothered in the crib as babies" award.

It will take you probably half the movie, if you respond as I did, to reach the point of thinking there's something worth watching here. Mostly it's an exercise in psychological sado-masochism.

Franco's Spain, circa 1935. Outside, where we never see it, there is a civil war raging between the communists and the republicans on one side and fascists/Franco supporters on the other. We're in the house of the Falcón family, most definitely Franco supporters, corrupt as they come. Headed by a stainless-steel bitch of a grandmother, the family welcomes son Gabino home after ten years living in Mexico. The father, whose idea of a good time is raping his wife and killing pigeons, goes about arranging a marriage for Gabino to the daughter of an equally corrupt business partner. Gabino isn't interested. He's gay. And he brings Lázaro, a Mexican friend of his, home with him.  Lázaro is a ballet dancer (read: nancy boy, except he isn't.)  Everybody soon participates in rumors that Gabino and Lázaro are faggots (the word is used at least 100 times).

It helps to understand that during the Spanish Civil War Mexico came out in support of the Republicans, so Mexicans are a despised lot. Gabino and Lázaro are beaten repeatedly by thugs - for being Mexican, (Gavino's mother is also Mexican) - or for being fags - take your pick.

Won't go further into the plot. It's sufficiently convoluted to hold your interest.

Despite the absurdist turns - and it gets truly absurd in places - it's a terrible terrible movie (I like absurdity, you see - it's just that I like it done well).

But although I've gotten quite good at turning movies off when they begin to disappoint, I'm glad I stuck with this one. For the unbelievably stupid ending.  And it ends with the third episode, for some reason. Netflix Streaming.

What were these guys thinking?

The acting is good. Maybe that's the draw.

And the costumes. And the cars.

And maybe there's an underlying reason I got sucked in that I am unaware of. The more I think of it, the more I wonder if it's just that I'm not Mexican enough to appreciate the playfulness of the thing. That's it. It's playful, rather than absurd. It was created, produced and directed by Manolo Caro, who is currently enjoying great popularity in Mexico. Caro has his own production company, Noc Noc Cinema (and I'm sure there's a clue to the film hidden in that choice of silly names.)

One Spanish-language reviewer puts his finger on the problem: the topics touched on are all terribly interesting. It's just that the filmmaker misses the boat and keeps everything on a superficial level. Nobody has any depth. Nobody's behavior is even half-justified.

Watch it, if for no other reason, for the ending.

And do tell me if you think I've got this wrong.