Crumbling small towns seeped in inertia have always exuded a cinematic charm that could be deceptive. In the hands of debutant Carlos Carrera who deals with toxic masculinity and unforgivable stupidity and ignorance that engulfs a Mexican small town, the charm turns dreary and claustrophobic. Involving the infatuation of an uncouth, middle-aged ex-boxer for a young girl who in turn is in love with a young truck driver, the film focuses on psychology shaped by intellectual deprivation and degradation in a society hopelessly out of sync with the world beyond.
BENJAMIN’S WOMAN (1991, Mexico) by Carlos Carrera is a delightful, yet disturbing film streaming on MUBI.
Ranjan Das is a Mumbai based filmmaker & faculty.