On the Edge (Así del precipicio)

I don’t recall ever intentionally investigating Mexican cinema. I have a hard enough time dealing with Spanish cinema, which I think we’ll all agree is a rung or two above. The only Mexican film I remember watching prior to On the Edge is Y Tu Mamá También (the only memorable thing from Y Tu Mamá También is the sex scene). I’ll openly admit my own prejudice against what I may misinterpret as Mexican culture. I see a country’s art as a reflection of its culture, and there’s nothing that really interests me about anything having to do with Mexico, other than remembrance of the Alamo and The Battle of San Jacinto.

My prejudice starts with what I’ve seen of Mexican television. I live in Texas and was encouraged as a child to try to learn Spanish. Between elementary school and high school I took several years of Spanish. I don’t speak a lick of the language now, but that has more to do with the failings of the Texas education system and my distaste for the sound of bastardized Spanish. As part of my attempt at immersion, I watched countless hours of Mexican television. What I saw was bad acting, poor production, an insane emphasis on sex, and lots of dancing blondes with ridiculously large breasts.

The idea that any Mexican attempt at art completely lacks skill or sophistication has stuck with me. That negative impression has since been reinforced by the often horrendous acting by one of Mexico’s stars, Salma Hayek, and the pitiful directing of the inexplicably popular Guillermo del Toro and Robert Rodriguez.  My detractors will point to Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas, and Jordi Mollà  as paradigms of excellence in Mexican cinema. And I will happily point out that they are all Spanish.

While there is some great acting in On the Edge, it is also at times cartoonish in a way that makes Mexican television unwatchable. Often, I couldn’t tell if I was watching a bad comedy or a bad drama. The acting is constantly undermined. The end result is a movie that’s hard to take serious, which is unfortunate because On the Edge deals with the very serious topics of suicide, addiction, gender and sexual identity, divorce and death.  If you enjoy M. Night Shyamalan movies you might enjoy On the Edge. I don’t and didn’t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jP1_dwrrr4

 

I wonder how many people out there are going to a movie tonight or rented a flick to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I honestly don’t know what people do to celebrate, as I’ve only partaken in the festivities twice since being old enough to date. Like most holidays, I’ll be spending this one alone, which really doesn’t make it different than any other day, and I would argue that holidays are no different than any other day.

I’m trying to remember what I was doing this time last year and can’t recall, but it’s a safe bet I was working. I guess I should be thankful that having a heart pump has left this aspect of my life unchanged. Speaking of things staying the same, I am still just as ignorant as to the status of my heart regeneration. Some foolishness at UT Southwestern has me waiting another month for the echocardiogram. At my last visit they did do an EKG to try to figure out if an irregular heartbeat was causing what I’ve been feeling in my chest. Just like my morning deuce, my beat was regular.