Search - Novia Que Te Vea: Like a Bride on DVD

A visit to a Jewish-Mexican neighborhood

Lorenz Chan | Phoenix, AZ United States | 07/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In our today's contemporary society, fortunately, there are many "windows" opened that used to be closed. Thanks to the enlightening of films like this one, we can realize that Mexico is not only "sombreros", "mariachis", or a land of "machismo". This production presents a segregated group that honors the diversity within the traditional society. This diversity includes stories from the Jewish immigrants and their families that became part of the Mexican Society that no so many people are aware of. In this film, we can observe the daily life drama from the perspective of two young Jewish maidens coming of age, and the intertwined dilemmas to be part of two cultures; also, we can experience the tension during the social changes around the sixties and seventies; at last, we also can visualize the problematic relationships between men and women from different religious faiths, and the irrefutable right to love and be loved. It is also a feminist statement because we can observe the contrast between the traditional roles of women versus the turmoil of liberating women. It is presented in a comedy genre, although contains analytical, historical, and dramatic elements. This film is the story of survival for some Mexican-Jewish (Turkish) immigrants. I will be interested to see how you understand and reflect the perspective of immigration from another country TO Mexico, rather than the traditional opposition. I give two thumbs-up for this historical and humoristic creation that put on the map the voices of a none-traditional Mexican characters. Great film!"

Somehow disappointing

Dr. Armon Robert | Haifa, Israel | 10/04/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Mexican saga of Jewish community is the base of this movie. There are some nice and humoristic spots in this film, especially at the start of this movie, but as a whole it lacks the flow of a real masterpiece (i.e. "The Best of Youth" 2003). The characters are portrayed too superficially, in spite of some real base as I know from my views on this society. The dialogs are too slow, and they do not flow (which may be a problem of final reduction) creating a feeling of amateur movie...
There also some dull moments, that I started to yawn, know what will follow.
Along the whole movie I felt that something is missing in portraying the époque, the characters and their relationships. It is very difficult to keep movie intensity, based on family story along the years, without a nice and intelligent script. Another shortcoming, at least from the common spectator view, is the ageing problem of the people in this movie. The grandma looks the same for at least 25 years, which I wish to be so for everybody getting old! In summary, the opportunity was there, but the director missed it....maybe a retake will correct those weaknesses.
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