It is impossible to deny that, within the cinematographic offer, there are already countless stories that speak of the search for individual identity. There are many films that take up various elements from certain countries or regions to ask questions about what gives us a sense of belonging. The movie suckby Jonás Cuarón, joins this audiovisual trend with uneven results.
Starting from an idea that is undoubtedly interesting, the production overloads too much on fantasy and science fiction film tropes from past decades to deliver something that entertains the audience and that, yes, at times creates sparks of magic, but that ends up feeling quite generic. And it is that, as promising as it sounds, this adventure coming-of-age of an American teenager who befriends a chupacabra puppy, he gets lost in everything he wants to tell.
We begin with a glimpse into the life of Alejandro, or Alex (Evan Whitten), a young man living in Kansas with his mother who will soon travel to Mexico to visit his cousins Memo and Luna (Nickolas Verdugo; Ashley Ciarra) and his grandfather. Chava (Demián Bichir), who lives in the town of San Javier. Coincidentally, in the outskirts of the region, a group of rare species researchers led by Quinn (Christian Slatter, two steps away from becoming Alan Grant, from Jurassic Parkwith several almost identical scenes), look for a recently sighted chupacabra.
We end with the investigators chasing the children and their grandfather through the desert trying to take the creature away, guns drawn, as they say its blood has healing powers that could revolutionize medicine. Chupa, as the children nickname the puppy, has all the necessary characteristics for the audience to take a liking to him: he is furry, with big eyes, he can fly and he purrs whenever he can. Reason why, in fiction, Alex also becomes his faithful friend. Thus, the young man saves the adorable monster and takes him back to his family, while he learns an invaluable lesson: he always has to be proud of his roots. That’s all. At least in a superficial aspect.
Because although the movie suck, by Jonás Cuarón, cannot escape the conventional structure in which in the first act the protagonist is a fish out of water and in the third act everyone is happy, what is extremely valuable is what is in between. The dynamic between Bichir, Whitten, Ciarra and Verdugo is great. Also, seeing Verdugo stealing scenes like the intense and naughty Memo is a delight.
At times, stereotypes are abused: grandfather was a fighter, so wrestling is the topic of conversation at home, or tacos are the favorite food, or the word darling It is mentioned countless times. However, Cuarón succeeds in his mission to make us form a bond with relatives and with the town. In the end, the naturalness of his performances is more powerful than a very weak writing job. Added to this, it helps that the film is set in 1996, as it perfectly captures the spirit of Spielberg and Amblin’s adventures that he constantly pays homage to.
Actually, suck has very little to say about the titular mythical creature. The “monster” appears in a few scenes. The objective of the film is to make us feel that, no matter how far away we are, our home is always waiting for us. It half-fulfills this objective, but it is appreciated that everything is done honestly and innocuously. Also, seeing Demián Bichir dressed as a fighter chasing serious scientists is a lot of fun.
Jose Roberto Landaverde Movie buff and music lover. I am fascinated by writing, listening, reading and commenting on everything related to the seventh art. I’m a fan of Rocky and Back to the Future and obviously one day I’ll climb the “Philly Steps” and drive a DeLorean. Faithful believer that cinema is the best teleportation machine, and also that on the big screen we can all see ourselves represented. I constantly, like Scott Pilgrim, ask myself: “Does bread make you fat?”