Música Campesina

Watching this film is like spending two hours in the lounge area of a backpacker's hostel in the company of young travelers from hither and yon, while waiting for supper to served. Lots of casual conversation, lots of shooting-the-breeze, some jokes, some awkwardness, some flirting, some candor, and then...it's over, and that's all folks! The writer-director, Alberto Fuguet, does a commendably expert job technically, so that the movie does not look like it was shot on a shoestring budget, even though it was. Even more commendably, the acting throughout is more than competent, so you are not reminded of the fact that you are watching actors acting, always a fatal flaw in independent cinema. On the other hand, none of the people in front of the camera project the sort of charisma that makes a film memorable.

But the biggest problem is the lack of any seeming point to the proceedings; no character growth, no revelation, no insights, no...nothing. However, I was never bored, even chuckled a few times, and Pablo Cerda can sing and play well; it's a pity he only gets to sing and play one song.