Mexico

Rodolfo and Beatriz are the parents of teenagers Jessica and Juan. Together they form a perfect dysfunctional family. Rodolfo leaves for work every morning, but actually he’s unemployed. Beatriz, worrying that she is looking older, has a flirtation with her buff gym trainer. Jessica finds herself in a love triangle with her boyfriend and her best friend. And, Juan’s girlfriend has a little surprise for him. This is the life of an ordinary middle-class family in Tijuana. While living under the same roof, they scurry about their days, trying to hide their secrets from one another.

Insects mate, stories are born. The concept of “love” gets put under the looking glass in this captivatingly maverick film. Manuel, a lonely 36-year-old, begins an unusual friendship with the much younger Alma. A young foreign couple set out on an idyllic backpacking trip in Costa Rica. A Mexico City taxi driver visits a dive bar where he meets a sexy lounge singer. Vicente runs into an old classmate from high school and has something profound to share with her.

Giggling young women who secretly feed a macho cowboy Viagra might sound pretty funny. But is it really?... I Stay with You starts out as an innocent comedy with rich girls having carefree fun. Gradually, however, the film undergoes a transformation, ending in dark sadism. Artist Artemio Narro has made a number of installations and videos on the subject of violence. His first fiction feature is not only a commentary on the ever-present violence in Mexico, but also on how we see violence.

After pushing his mother to her limit with a prank involving a water balloon and a baby stroller, Tomás is sent to live in Mexico City with big brother Sombra and his roommate Santos, who are up to their own shenanigans while the rest of the students at their university are on strike. Malcontent and in search of a cause, the trio embarks on an oddball quest when they learn their late father’s musical hero, Epigmenio Cruz, a man who once moved Bob Dylan to tears, is dying.

Insects mate, stories are born. The concept of “love” gets put under the looking glass in this captivatingly maverick film. Manuel, a lonely 36-year-old, begins an unusual friendship with the much younger Alma. A young foreign couple set out on an idyllic backpacking trip in Costa Rica. A Mexico City taxi driver visits a dive bar where he meets a sexy lounge singer. Vicente runs into an old classmate from high school and has something profound to share with her.

Giggling young women who secretly feed a macho cowboy Viagra might sound pretty funny. But is it really?... I Stay with You starts out as an innocent comedy with rich girls having carefree fun. Gradually, however, the film undergoes a transformation, ending in dark sadism. Artist Artemio Narro has made a number of installations and videos on the subject of violence. His first fiction feature is not only a commentary on the ever-present violence in Mexico, but also on how we see violence.

Rodolfo and Beatriz are the parents of teenagers Jessica and Juan. Together they form a perfect dysfunctional family. Rodolfo leaves for work every morning, but actually he’s unemployed. Beatriz, worrying that she is looking older, has a flirtation with her buff gym trainer. Jessica finds herself in a love triangle with her boyfriend and her best friend. And, Juan’s girlfriend has a little surprise for him. This is the life of an ordinary middle-class family in Tijuana. While living under the same roof, they scurry about their days, trying to hide their secrets from one another.

This is a work of almost ascetic severity, shot entirely inside the Mexico City apartment of a freelance journalist named Laura (played by the marvellous Mónica del Carmen). But somehow Leap Year uncovers an entire world, recounting a sweeping psychological narrative of a woman’s descent into delusion, sexual obsession and self-destruction and then her voyage out again. Focusing on the details of everyday life with a camera that rarely moves, Rowe manages to make Laura’s story both gripping and dramatic. Andrew O'Hehir, Salon

Director Luis Urquiza and producer Lourdes García will be in attendance to introduce this special event.

Followed by a reception in the Vancity Theatre atrium (1181 Seymour Street @ Davie). Cash bar.