Rating: 4.5/5

Writers: Jack Zagha Kababie, Enrique Chmelnik
Director: Jack Zagha Kababie
Cast: Carlos Alberto Orozco, Monica Bejarano, Justo Martinez

Sometimes going into a movie not knowing what to expect can be the best way to do it. Even going in with a basic idea of the plot but no clue as to what the film will be like tonally can intensify your overall opinion about the film. That was certainly the case for the Mexican film GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD, a film about a man whose terrible outcomes turn into our comedic pleasures.

Angel (Carlos Alberto Orozco) can’t catch a break. It all starts when he loses his job, in this economic climate many business are suffering cutbacks and, according to his boss, they should blame the Chinese. As if things couldn’t get any worse, his personal life is also falling apart. He can’t even free his pet hamster to the wild, as when he does a cat comes and snatches it up. All he wants is to find a new career, and a place where he feels comfortable. Then, when he least expects it, he finds that place of belonging – after he accidentally mugs a man. He had inadvertently joined a small crime ring, one with a heart. While robbing a bus that they didn’t realize had already been robbed that day, they leave the money with a young boy on the bus whose school supplies had been stolen. Together they try to find their ticket to riches, and maybe have a good time while doing it. Continue reading “DIFF 2011 Review: GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD” →