Movie Review: Cry Now
I love indie films. They are the last refuge for the true film auteur; personal visions and statements crystallized into little creative, often quirky, cinematic gems. Filmmakers like John Cassavetes, the Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant, Jim Jarmusch, John Sayles and Amy Heckerling, to name a few, have left their distinctive mark on film. Their films are distinguished by the emphasis on story, character, plot and authenticity, not flash ‘n bang or shock ‘n awe CGI special effects.
“Writers are the most important people in Hollywood…and the bastards must never find out!” – Irving Thalberg
However, sometimes in their quest for realism, cinéma-vérité or authenticity, the script, the written word is abandoned in favor of improvised or ad-libbed dialog and scenes that drag on too long. So, a well-written, structed indie film with a personal vision is a plus for me. Cry Now, written and directed by Alberto Barboza, is a pleasure on many levels.
Vincent (Miguel Angel Caballero) is a young silkscreen artist who designs and produces posters with complex, intricate images that he plasters on public walls. At a chance meeting in a night club, Vincent encounters Luzy (Iliana Carter) a beautiful tattoo artist. They share a brief dance. It’s just a moment, but the chemistry between the two is immediate, undeniable and electric.
There are, of course, complications. It wouldn’t be a good love story if there weren’t complications, right? Complication-free romances are not only rare, but boring.
Luzy has a boyfriend, who’s a cop. Not only that, but her cop boyfriend put up $20K for her to open her own tattoo shop. So, she’s emotionally and financially in debt to him.
Vincent is in a faltering relationship he feels is over, but his possessive girlfriend, Sofia, (Mina Olivera) has other ideas. A wise man once said: “It takes more strength to let go than it does to hold on.” That wise man, is me, but it does apply to Sofia. She runs a day care center and is an artist in her own right too.
At first glance, Cry Now, is a classic boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl romance. But writer / director Barboza has elevated this hip, stylish, urban, Chicano romance with his smart, urbane, well-crafted script.
Cry Now is set in the culturally rich Chicano environment of East LA. A world of Mexican-inspired music, dancing and more tequila shots than you can shake a piñata stick at. It’s a world where English and Spanish are spoken interchangeably, often simultaneously, with humor, wisdom and supple grace. And it’s the spoken word, the dialog, Barbosa’s masterful use and reverence for the writer’s craft that sets Cry Now apart.
When Vincent and Luzy first meet, the energy, the interplay is straight out of a Bogart and Bacall movie. Their dialog is playful, mocking, philosophical, teasing, sensual, kinetic. Vincent is instantly drawn to the alluring, mysterious tatted up tattoo artist. Luzy, for her part, recognizes despite the mutual attraction, trouble lies ahead.
But they never speak to each in direct, straight forward terms. Their language is always oblique, implied not explicit. It calls to mind a billiard bank shot. The cue is not struck directly at a billiard ball, but banked off the rails to make contact. Luzy is also skillful pool player.
In one scene Vincent says to Luzy: “I’m really feeling you right now. If you want me to stop, you need to stop looking at me that way.”
It’s a line right out of a Raymond Chandler novel. All the characters in Barbosa’s brilliant screenplay speak that way. Barboza also uses art as a subtext and a supporting player throughout the film.
At one point, a vengeful, jealous Sofia steals some of Vincent’s drawings, pins them on the walls of her day care center, stages a phony act of vandalism allegedly to terrorize her young charges with Vincent’s disturbing artwork. She reports it to the police. Sofia then appears on TV holding up a very good sketch she drew of the suspect. It’s, of course, a drawing of Vincent.
Well, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Pero sin duda, hell hath no fury like a Latina woman scorned. Exhibit A: Lorena Bobbitt. I rest my case, Your Honor. But, in Sophia’s defense, her wrath is nicely underscored with pathos and vulnerability well portrayed by Mina Olivera.
The late Lupe Ontiveros
There are also some very good performances by veteran character actors Sal Lopez as Lobo and the late, great Lupe Ontiveros as his sister, Rosario. The movie is also filled with Latino make-you-wanna-dance. drink and cry musical score.
Scientists have revealed to us the laws of physics and explained the bits and pieces of atoms that make up everything in the universe. Philosophers drone on drearily about reason, morality and logic. But only artists dare to explore the eternal mysteries of the human heart.
Oddly enough, Vincent and Luzy never utter the word “love” to each other. Like George Harrison’s classic song Something, Alberto Barboza uses artful language to paint images that tell a truly romantic story without having to say “I love you.”. A story, in Barboza’s capable hands, where love imitates art.
Cry Now is in limited release as of February 22, 2017
¡Un brindis de tequila para Barboza y su pelicula!
Director: Alberto Barboza
Screenplay: Alberto Barboza
Stars: Miguel Angel Caballero, Iliana Carter, Mina Olivera Sal Lopez, Lupe Ontiveros
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