Taking a cue from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Fernando Mereilles, Gerardo Naranjo juggles multiple intersecting stories that unfold over the course of a long night in Acapulco, whose glittering beaches and sparkling waves form a stark contrast to the garish, slightly tatty streets of this once-ultraglamorous resort town.
Spoiled rich girl Fernanda (Diana Garcia) runs into her ex, lowlife Chano (Emilio Valdes), at a cafe, where he tries to charm his way back into her heart and, more importantly, into her bed. She can't believe his nerve: When they broke up he fled town with money he stole from her father. He follows her home, breaks in and throws her to the floor: Is it rape, or some kind of ugly, class-fueled role-playing in the plantation owner's daughter meets lusty stable hand tradition? Since Fernanda's principle concern seems to be that Chano tore her clothes, the latter seems the better bet, and in any event, they're an item again, her new boyfriend, Gonzalo (Juan Pablo Castaneda), notwithstanding. One of Gonzalo's friends tips him off, and Gonzalo sets out to win her back. Meanwhile, chubby 15-year-old runaway Mariana (Miriana Moro) gets some quick lessons in part-time hooking from a few of her bolder schoolgirl friends. She rechristens herself Tigrillo and joins the ranks of the yahaira (the "Hey, hire us!" girls), trolling the beach for moneyed marks. Mariana spots middle-aged Jaime (Fernando Becerril) and figures him for an easy mark, unaware that he's so sick of his shallow, meaningless life that he just stole the company payroll and has booked a hotel on the beach in which to commit suicide.
Fledgling writer-director Naranjo keeps a tight rein on what could easily become sprawling material and elicits strong performances from a cast of newcomers and nonprofessionals; only Becerril has any significant acting experience, although the charismatic Moro frequently threatens to steal the show, cheekily striding the beach and trying out the come-on her new friends have taught her: "Massage with relaxation?" The shaky handheld-camera work becomes increasingly hard to take as the film goes on, but Naranjo's second feature shows considerable promise and, apparently, boundless self-confidence. (In Spanish with subtitles) leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
