Embargo (2010) User Reviews (2)

Un-magical Realism

[abboudeus · 5/10 · 15 January 2012]

As a great fan of Jose Saramago's magical realism I was expecting much more from this film. I haven't had the chance to read Embargo due to its elusiveness but it would be interesting to see how the story varies between both mediums.

The notion of the story sounds interesting but the breakdown was not so inviting to give it my full attention. Magical realism loses its touch here as the catalyst proves to be more weak and highly improbable than magical. Moreover, what makes it unbearable is the character's approach to his dilemma in how he fails to explain himself and his mishap while expecting others to simply understand or just cut him some slack.

The implausibility of the twist mixed with the incoherent and unfinished dialogues lend a burdensome feeling to the movie, making it more unappealing to watch as the dialogues continue to make no sense and the character carries on making more of a fool of himself than justifying his situation.

An interesting story line weakly followed through yet worth checking out.

A quirky, imaginative fable.

[rwdrex · 7/10 · 31 March 2011]

People have compared this film about a man who gets "stuck" in his car to the Coen brothers. But I found the pacing and symbolism more in line with a Jim Jarmusch creation--with a little David Lynch thrown in.

The story is a simple one. A poor inventor struggles to get his invention sold while balancing a crappy job and trying to keep from failing his family. And just when he's about to get his big break something odd happens--he literally gets stuck in his car.

The film starts out showing us what someone might do to get his dreams realized. In the end the film ends up showing us what that same person would be willing to sacrifice to keep his life intact and his promises kept. Along the way we get a few interesting characters and strange little moments of clarity.

The acting is mostly well done. The direction is good and at times brilliant. The pacing is deliberate--it takes the time to let us experience each scene and the emotions felt. Again very reminiscent of classic Jarmusch like "Mystery Train" and "Broken Flowers".

Don't expect a comedy with lots laughs. There are a few genuine laughs, but this is a somber film with little dialog and action. Not a great film, but a good one. A modern day Aesop fable.