Duck Season (2004)

"Duck Season" takes you into one particular Sunday morning in the lives of two fourteen-year old boys Flama and Moko. With their neighbor Rita and pizza delivery boy Ulises they create their own adventures to overcome their boredom. "Duck Season" explores the loneliness of childhood the effects of divorce and the curious power of love and friendship. Winner of numerous awards including an unprecedented 11 Ariel Awards the film was produced by Christian Valdelievre Lulu Productions and Cinepantera and executive produced by Jaime Ramos. Warner Independent Pictures and Alfonso Cuaron's Esperanto Films will distribute.Running Time: 91 min.System Requirements:Running Time: 91 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 012569403222 Manufacturer No: 4032 Product Description

Humorous and insightful

Spanish, subtitles in Spanish or English. I also have Thai options, but I suspect that's because Jan bought it in Thailand. I don't know if you can find it at all. But if you can, get it. It's a keeper and you'll watch it more than once. This low-budget black-and-white Mexican movie puts more in 79 minutes than most Hollywood offerings put into two or three hours. Mucho more, amigo.

It's been a long time since I watched a movie with subtitles and no English audio, and it doesn't matter. Minimal dialogue, simple sentences, much meaning. But mostly, it's about the acting, the visuals, the situations, and a surprising amount of character growth and even thematic development in what the cover rightly calls "a comic gem."

Two fourteen-year-old Mexican boys, Flama and Moko, spend the day alone in an apartment. Their neighbor Rita drops in, and later there's Ulises the pizza delivery guy. And that's it. You'll be amazed at what a master filmmaker can do with this. I am. You can watch it for the humor, or you can watch it for the meaning. I watched for both because my brain is miswired, and I'll watch it again. If you get it, so will you.
January 1, 2008

Fantastic Movie

If you want to see a movie with an original visual style, great acting, hilarious interactions, and is also deeply meaningful... Duck Season is certainly the movie for you. It is an absolute gem and a must see. December 21, 2007

Odd Ducks (In Flight)

Beautifully shot and edited in black and white, 'Duck Season' sets its sites on an oddball teen adventure that has interesting developments and solid craftsmanship. The story is basically about kids who are left home alone on a Sunday morning. Flana (Daniel Miranda) and his best friend Juan-Pablo (or Moko, Diego Cantana) have all day to play video games and do whatever their doting mother doesn't get a chance to see. The acting of all players is so decently believable that we can just imagine them as people who live down the street or in our own neighborhood. A series of mishaps interrupts their favorite X-box games, however. First it's Flana's beautiful sixteen year old neighbor, Rita (Carolina Politi) who introduces herself at the door and invites herself in to use their oven. (Hers is on the fritz.) When the electricity goes out a few times, there are mishaps you could probably guess, but both boys decide it's better to call the pizza man. Betting he'll arrive later than the half hour delivery limit (like the US), pizza man who is so much older, gets to be the line judge. In any case the wager they make with him prolongs his stay and makes him another intimate guest. From there we get loads of conversation: Some of it is revealing, but all of it is interesting. The gamut goes from Flana's home arrangements to thoughts about superstition and the Beatles. We even find out more about pizza man who is significantly named "Ulises" and has an odd fascination for a painting that inspires this movie's title.

While I felt I could add a star for the originality, the filming, the authenticity, and editing, I also thought some of the real life timing was misplaced and lost a few of the jokes in the process. I also found it a little unsettling that Rita chose to include marijuana in the cake batter. While in real life I've heard worse, and it did set up comic situations that are better left to view, a fourteen year old consuming marijuana is a little over the top.

Besides that the movie has some wonderful little twists at romance where the boys tell a different story than what actually occurs. All said, 'Duck Season' is a clever, unpredictable movie that brings a few reservations. July 7, 2007

Cute Poignancy

While far from great, this little b&w Mexican film, mangages to entertain the viewer with a piece about two 14-year olds alone in an apartment, playing video games, firing a rifle, and eating pizza. A Distraught, burdened pizza delivery man ends up hanging out with them along with a teenage girl neighbor who is there to borrow the oven.

Through the dialouge and lingering camera shots, we see beneath the surface of the characters and see a poignant tale of coming-of-age and crisis.

Worth checking out if you enjoy subtle humor and quirky indy cinema. December 18, 2006

When Ducks Fly ... Quirky, Amusing Little Film from Mexico

`Duck Season' has some comical moments, but it is quite misleading to categorize it as a comedy. This slow and quiet film, shot in beautiful monochrome, reminds us of early works of Jim Jarmusch, with the curiously attractive characters and minimum use of dialogues.

In `Duck Season' not many things happen. Two 14-year-boys Moko and Flama stay at home while Flama's mother is away from Flama's apartment. Later, Rita, a 16-year-old girl comes to them asking to use the oven, and gets attracted to Moko. In the meanwhile a pizza deliveryman Ulises arrives, but Flama refuses to pay because of the delay. Angry deliveryman refuses to leave, demanding instant payment.

There is nothing extraordinary in the story itself, but as the film goes on, we come to know more about these four characters, and the detailed descriptions of their life which were at first apparently so uneventful, suddenly start to look unexpectedly dramatic with the small but meaningful episodes. The film is always supported by the director's realistic and nuanced touch which is the most attractive part of the story. Potentially serious matters like divorce, loneliness, and death are carefully left outside the room they are in, but the shadows of them are clearly visible in what they see (in flashbacks) or talk casually.

The music is sparse but effectively used, and also tells us something about the director Fernando Eimbcke whose CV includes music videos clips. It makes an interesting contrast because in `Duck Season' the camera does not move in most of the scenes as if taking time to make us breathe the same air as the four characters. This is done at a leisurely pace, and the film requires patience for the viewers, but the end results are something rewarding, something warm-hearted that makes you smile after leaving the theater.

It doesn't tell us much about Mexico where the film is made, and it is not definitely about magic realism (in spite of the name of executive producer Alfonso Cuarón) when you can see the boys doing X-Box Game. I for one found the film a bit too slow, and the frequent use of fade-to-black unnecessary, but `Duck Season' is quirky little film which is amusing and full of pathos. September 4, 2006

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