I've seen this movie at the local Cinemark multiplex here in Puerto Vallarta. I had read a lot about it and was very interested in seeing it. Someone called it "the best Mexican film of the year": well, that's way too much, really. "Soba" is an interesting little movie that doesn't reach anytime all the possibilities that a similar theme and story could have open. First of all, the action is sometimes too slow and the scenes too long. There's a quirky and sometimes fascinating atmosphere, due to a very theatrical and contrasted b&w cinematography. But some dialogs sound too pretentious and ridiculous sometimes (Dagoberto Gama's role needed better dialogs to really create and interesting character). The music can be adequate in certain scenes but in others sound terrible (like when the mother kills the husband). The interesting thing I've noted in Alan Coton's direction is that a lot of action is just suggested, kept out of sight. Like when The girl seduce the step-father during the dinner or when she masturbates reading a "Playgirl" magazine. That's really interesting but some scenes (maybe due of the low budget and, I guess, tight schedule) are bad done (the cop beating up the narc, it was hilarious how the action was so fake). "Soba" is full of that: interesting things alternated to terribly bad done things. And that's a shame. Because the whole concept was in a same way fascinating. The same happens with the actors: supporting cast generally gives wooden performances (the step-father, some of the cops...), but the girl (played by newcomer Claudia Soberon) really disappears in her role. At the end, I liked the movie. As I said, it's not the best movie of the year, but it's quite refreshing and has a pretty nice and dark atmosphere.
Review of Soba
