My early years were spent entirely in the United States, so one of the attractions of films from other countries was simply their "otherness."
Sitting in cool, dark arthouses, where the programming of European pictures predominated, I was consistently captivated by the flow of "foreign" languages, the unfamiliar actors, and the unusual rhythms of storytelling. In time, I learned to appreciate more of the nuances, to be able to compare and contrast, to discover what made me respond emotionally and intellectually.
I still favor watching films from other lands, even when the storytelling is more traditional, as in Tania Hermida's How Much Further (Que Tan Lejos), from Ecuador. It's an entertaining, illuminating road movie.
A countrywide bus strike threatens to strand Esperanza (Tania Martinez). She's a bubbly tourist from Spain, the type laden down with guidebooks and ready for every contingency. When she sees a young fellow passenger leave the bus, she asks to tag along.
After meeting Esperanza, the university student (Cecilia Vallejo) mischeviously introduces herself as Tristeza -- "sadness" in English, in contrast to Esperanza's name, which translates as "hope." That small moment is indicative of Tristeza's contrary nature in general. She has strong, inflexible opinions on nearly everything, powered by a self-righteous determination of right and wrong.
Esperanza is resolutely positive in her outlook on life. She's traveled extensively and has a deep appreciation for the beauty of her surroundings. To Tristeza, though, Esperanza is dangerously naive, too much of a tourist for her taste. Every time Esperanza points out a scenic wonder, Tristeza puts it down, racing off on a political or social rant. Her commentary is smug at times, as though no one else is sufficiently intelligent to match her worldly insights, but it's tempered by her own naivety about affairs of the heart.
As they hitchhike toward their common destination, they are joined by Jesus (Pancho Aguirre), a calming presence with a family mission to accomplish. Jesus is too much a narrative device, inserted to provide balance between the two women and deliver nuggets of wisdom, yet the lines are delivered with unobtrusive, sly self-awareness by Aguirre.
The trajectory of the story is familiar. As with many road movies, we have strangers becoming unlikely traveling companions, many conversations on a variety of topics (notably love, romance, and the current state of affairs in Ecuador), and gorgeous landscapes providing picturesque backgrounds.
What spills over everything, though, and provides substance are the very engaging performances of Tania Martinez and newcomer Cecilia Vallejo, as well as the fully-realized, imperfect female characters created by Tania Hermida. (The many ways in which Hermida inserts her commentary on her native country, not omitting prejudices racial, national, and otherwise, are also very refreshing.) You come to feel as though you either already know these women, or want to know them, and for that reason the movie ends too soon.
I'm ready to buy a ticket to Ecuador.
LINKS
Trailer (Embedded YouTube)