After I stopped, I read all the reviews to see if I should keep going, and so some of my comments are prompted by those.
I apologise for not finishing the movie and still writing a review. I know that's not really fair, but I just couldn't take it anymore and when I read the reviews it seems my problem with the movie wasn't going to go away. I would have persevered if the reviews had been different. Especially as my bar for watching was pretty low since I'm practicing my Spanish comprehension and am watching anything halfway decent as an educational exercise.
I don't think I had an issue with the main character and her cohort being marriage-obsessed. I get that some women are, regardless of the culture they're from. I get that some cultures are very marriage-obsessed and the pressure on any woman after she turns 20 or 21 to get married before she becomes unmarriageable and worthless is real. I wasn't conscious that this was an impediment to my enjoyment of the movie. I enjoy a lot of movies from cultures that aren't mine, with viewpoints that aren't mine.
Unlike some other reviewers, I thought the acting was good - very good. The main actor, Cassandra Ciangherotti, did a great job portraying a very real character. She has an element of Kristen Wiig about her - awkward, funny, very mobile and expressive face. She was completely believable as Ana. I'm going to see what else she's in.
The problem was that I hated Ana. I would have found her selfish, fake, narcissistic, unpleasant, and immature had she been 13 years old. For a character who is supposedly in her late 20s, she's unbearable. She's awful to family, friends, everyone -- and refuses to see it. I thought this movie would be about how the shock of a breakup caused real introspection and growth, but 1 hour and 6 minutes into it I saw no evidence this was happening.
Instead of becoming a better and more mature human being, she just kept getting worse. Ana was so bad that the relationship with the good guy she meets is entirely unbelievable - why on earth does he fall in love with her? What can they possibly talk about? They have nothing in common. What does she have to offer any intelligent, adult man (or anyone)? There is nothing to Ana except her self-absorption and obsession with doing anything it takes to get married.
TL;DR - The main character (not the actress) is an awful human being and I feel like her awfulness was cross-cultural.
