My Mexican Bretzel
Director: Nuria Giménez Lorang
Country: Spain
German Premiere
2019 | 74 min. | Spanish
Subtitles: English & German
FSK 18
Cast_ Frank A. Lorang, Ilse G. Ringier Screenplay_ Nuria Giménez Lorang Camera_ Frank A. Lorang Producer_ Nuria Giménez, María Zamora, Stefan Schmitz Copyright_ Avalon Distribution Audiovisual
A woman torn between her husband, a lover, and emancipation. A quiet drama staged with essaystic means: beguiling archive material and merciless diary citations.
Nuria Giménez weaves the story of a couple using a very understated tone and exquisite humour. It begins in Switzerland during the Second World War and ends up in the USA’s booming pharmaceutical industry, taking detours to Malta and Mallorca along the way. The film is spurred on by shots that are gradually recognised as Leon’s home videos. Citations from the diary of Vivian, his wife, then offer us a wholly new perspective on the events depicted in these videos. From the highly elegant montage emerges the narrative of a Western European marriage, whose evocations of old gender roles, the economic miracle, and emancipation invite numerous possible interpretations of the past. The fascinating game played with found and fictitious material remains exciting until the end.
Recipient of awards at the Rotterdam and Gijón Film Festivals.