''We Are Mari Pepa'' ( Spanish: ''Somos Mari Pepa'') is a 2013 Mexican

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film directed by Samuel Kishi (in his directorial debut) and written by Kishi & Sofía Gómez-Córdova. It features Alejandro Gallardo, Arnold Ramírez, Rafael Andrade Muñoz, Moisés Galindo and Petra Iñiguez Robles. It is based on the 2011 short film ''Mari Pepa'' by the same director.

Synopsis

Alex is a 16-year-old teenager who has 3 goals for his summer. First, create together with your

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

a new song. Second, get a job. And lastly, having your first

sexual experience Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

. During his summer he will realize that his grandmother begins to need more help from him, then he will understand that he must mature and learn to say goodbye.

Cast

The actors participating in this film are: * Alejandro Gallardo as Alex * Arnold Ramírez as Bolter * Moisés Galindo as Moy * Rafael Andrade as Rafa * Petra Iñiguez Robles as Grandmother * Eduardo Covarrubias as Alex's father * Víctor Osuna as Party extra

Release

''We Are Mari Pepa'' had its world premiere on October 23, 2013, at the

Morelia International Film Festival The Morelia International Film Festival (''Spanish'': ''Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia''; FICM) was founded in 2003 in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, México. It is an annual event that takes place during the second week of October. F ...

. It also premiered on November 10, 2013, at the AFI Fest in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, in February 2014 at the

64th Berlin International Film Festival The 64th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 6 to 16 February 2014. Wes Anderson's film ''The Grand Budapest Hotel'' opened the festival. British film director Ken Loach was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The Golden ...

and on March 14, 2015, at the Villeurbanne Festival Reflets du cinéma ibérique et Latino-américain in France.

Reception

Critical reception

On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. Clayton Dillard from ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' comments that the film works because of its massive interest in adolescent shock, where paralysis and uncertainty can only be momentarily heightened through gender outrage. Alissa Simon from ''Variety'' called the film charming primarily for Samuel Kishi and Sofía Gomez-Cordova's treatise on the screenplay, despite the episodic narrative at first seeming to wander, by the end, the precisely edited structure of rhyme and repetition long ago. that the whole adds up to more than the sum of its parts. Boyd van Hoeij from ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' mentions that the director manages to expand his 2010 short film in this film, although in the end the story is not decided whether to focus only on Alex or on all the members of Mari Pepa, Samuel Kishi manages to reflect youth culture, also highlights the contagious spirit and juvenile that the young actors transmit without affectation in their characterizations.

Accolades

References

External links

* 2013 films 2013 comedy-drama films Mexican comedy-drama films 2010s Spanish-language films 2010s Mexican films Films set in Mexico Films shot in Mexico Films about music and musicians Films about musical groups Films about sexuality 2013 directorial debut films {{Comedy-drama-film-stub