SANGRE
Mexico, 2005, 90 minutes, Colour.
Cirilo Recio Davila, Claudia Orozco.
Directed by Amat Escalante.
Sangre just stops. The end. Maybe, Diego, the central character, a middle-aged, very ordinary man, balding, with a cast in his eye, just has nowhere else to go.
First time writer and director traps his audience in the humdrum life of Diego and Blanca. With his almost permanently fixed camera, in long takes (sometimes very long –30 seconds for Blance to trim her toenails), it is if we are caught in a Mexican reality TV program where very little happens. Activities run the range from intimate sex, through Diego eating his tacos and fried egg, to lying watching telenovellas (which actually sound more interesting than what we see of Diego and Blanca).
Of course, this is a portrait of unvaried, often banal lives which make us ask what life is all about. Diego goes a good deed for a woman whose son is abducted and Blanca angrily tosses a table at him. She apologises. Diego’s daughter asks can she live with him. He puts her up in a hotel. In the last 30 minutes, there are some complications with Diego’s daughter and his almost zombie-like manner of dealing with the crisis. And then he and the film just stop.
1. The impact of the film? Life in Mexico? Attachments and detachments? Purpose?
2. The visual style, the static camera, the limited movement, action within the frame – or not? The influence of reality TV style? Editing, long takes? Score?
3. The title, the beginning, the man at the end and his confrontation with the young man?
4. Diego’s story: lying and with the blood and wound, at home, his relationship with Blanca, the clashes, her asking pardon? Watching the television soap operas? The sexual relationship? Going to bed, waking in the morning, breakfast, driving to work, dropping Blanca, at work, taking Marta home after her son was abducted, Karina and her phone call, meeting her, her wanting to live with him, his fearing Blanca? To the hotel, the back-story about Karina? Blanca’s refusal? The long breakfast with the tacos and egg? Driving, finding Karina dead, buying the tools at the shop, the bag, putting her in the bag, driving her to the garbage disposal, at the tip, watching, the cows, walking on the water, getting the fruit, falling into the water, the family – and the blood? The sudden end?
5. Blanca, at work, busy, tidying up, at home, the bathroom, sexual relationship with Diego, clipping her toenails, watching the TV? Her yelling at him, always asking his pardon, buying his favourite takeaway food? The breakfast, not wanting Karina?
6. Karina, relationship with her father, the phone call, the meeting, her explanation of her boyfriend, doing anything for him, including cocaine? His not seeing they were a couple, his friends? Her death?
7. The workplaces, Marta and the abduction (and the television with the news about violence in the country)?
8. The final family, out in the countryside, the confrontation between the two men – and the final image of Diego?
