Vitalina Varela

Although the movie's emotional power is hollowed out by its dreadfully slow pacing that will put mainstream viewers off, for those who love sumptuous photography, this movie offers several dozen of the most purely captivating images of the year. As a study in the use of chiaroscuro and the use of tableaux to tell a story, and as a study in the opposite of the conventional wisdom of movies being purely for escapism, I can recommend this to viewers wishing to broaden their understanding of what a movie can be and how can be told.

There aren't many words in Vitalina Varela. This is a forgettable feature. Here's what ya do... Smoke three bowls. Then you can become a critic and talk about how artsy it is. It's a bore, but it's fun to look at. It's a film that just lies there and if it's your cup of tea then good for you. It isn't mine and I dare you to tell me what it was about without looking up a summary. Exactly. Final Score: 1.8/10

The story didn't do anything for me, but holy cow this movie is absolutely stunning visually. Unlike anything I've ever seen before. Must see.

This movie is horrible

Exquisite atmospheric cinematography and lighting aside, this otherwise excessively tedious exercise in pregnant pauses, long lingering shots of insignificance, pretentious monologues and voluminous footage of mundane activities that adds nothing to the narrative makes one glad for the fast forward button. Fewer films have I seen that make the viewer long for the ending -- and, when it finally comes, it's largely unsatisfying, likely to evoke a huge "So what?" I fail to understand the critics' raves about this one, but, with such a dearth of new material out there at the moment, I imagine that almost anything will do to satisfy the appetites of the hungry.