Así es la vida. (Such Is Life)

Reviewed by Rafael Ocasio, Agnes Scott Coll., Decatur, GA -- Críticas, 9/15/2008

(Mexico, 2000) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 98 mins. Macondo Cine, dist. by Facets. 2007. DVD. $29.99. DRAMA

Mexican director Arturo Ripstein’s vibrant modern version of the classical play Medea is set in a marginal neighborhood in Mexico City. Julia, an herbal medicine woman whose clientele are women seeking (illegal) abortions, is faced with the news that Nicolás, an aging wannabe boxer and the father of her two children, is abandoning her in order to marry Raquel, a much younger woman. Unfortunately, Nicolás has an ally in Marrana, Raquel’s father the owner of the dilapidated building where this odd ensemble of characters lives. In the end, as in the original play, Julia-Medea kills her children. The film also incorporates a modern symbol, a television set which plays unusual bolero songs that serve in lieu of the classic Greek chorus. Ripstein is a remarkable director, closely associated with the development of today’s booming Mexican cinema. This film effectively preserves the feeling of watching a play by incorporating cinematographic lighting techniques that give the set a gloomy theatrical presence. Highly recommended for collections on modern Mexican cinema.