A nine-minute scene where an old man is waking up in his small bedroom and going through his morning routine starts the film and encapsulates what it is about, thematically and stylistically. Malaventura is Michel Lipke's debut film, and he is interested in exploring old age in a film that follows the events of a single day in the life of a nameless old man.
Lipke has a preference for static shots that render the film still life, where its desaturated cinematography adds to the bleakness feel and contemplative mood. The protagonist is often seen going from one place to another, wandering the streets of Mexico, and being in a reflexive mood. We are before a story where literally nothing is happening, nothing of importance, that is. To aggravate things further, there is an unnecessary scene in a movie theater showing a very graphic adult film. It is simply disgusting and distasteful, to say the least. In any case, it seems one of those products where its purpose was an attempt at profundity, triggering ruminations about being elderly and everything it means, but its theme is sabotaged by its style. A style that invites you to abandon the activity and stop watching it due to its lack of any interesting aspect throughout a short runtime of 66 minutes that feels like an eternity devoid of any meaning. Finding any redeeming value in this would be like finding a needle in a haystack. It is simply horrendous in every way. This must be one of the most boring films ever created, a tiresome and uninteresting experience.
