DUCK SEASON/ TEMPORADA DE PATOS

Mexico, 2004, 90 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Fernando Eimbcke.

A young Mexican director has opted to make a film about bored youngsters in today’s more affluent urban life. He has filmed in black and white and confined himself to an upstairs apartment: two fourteen year old boys, their sixteen year old neighbour who wants to use their oven and the pizza guy.

For audiences wanting a case study, there is something to watch as the lazy Sunday passes and the group play video games, experience power cuts and have to talk (or not), argue about whether to pay for the pizza or not, look at photo albums or just sit and doze.

For those not wanting to examine the case studies carefully, the temptation is to just sit and doze. It is a real challenge to make an interesting film about bored people. Despite admirable film-making techniques and performances and the potential for reflection, and the film winning many awards, especially in Mexico, this film makes us share the boredom.