After having worked as a script doctor for Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll’s slice-of-life portraits Whiskey and 25 Watts, Federico Veiroj’s feature length directorial debut strings itself with similar cords, but leans more towards the beginning cycle of adulthood. With Acne, the Uruguayan filmmaker delivers a portrait about being stuck in an self-conscious time in one’s life where the hormonal imbalances that come about with puberty does more than change voices or add red spots in badly chosen places. The small in scope feature about a 13 year-old boy’s non-exploits is perfectly suited for Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight section and while it definitely works itself as a cute narrative, this bite-sized picture feels as awkward and emotionless as the picture’s protagonist.
Veiroj’s premise is simple enough – the pimply-faced new member of teenagedom has the distinction of having made it to home base, but has never been formerly introduced to first base. The rite of passage made easier by the schema conjured up by his older brother and the participation of the home’s housemaid hardly makes the young Rafael, who belongs to the upper middle class of society, into an alpha male. While he doesn’t have much time to develop his curiosity about sex, he maintains a high curiosity for girls – especially of his own age. The activity called kissing is part of that curiosity. Predictable and forgettable, the remainder of the storyline follows the young teen’s quest to hook up with a fellow classmate that he has been fixated on since meeting her at a family celebration – a moment conveniently made forever available by way of the VHS tape. The horrible truth is girls at the age are always into the older boys.
A Latin American co-production involving Uruguay, Argentina, Spain and Mexico, there is a good natured quality about a picture and not unlike past film examples, visiting the local brothel is common place and not all that uncommon for boys. Economically told, the controlled screenplay doesn’t swerve into obvious coming of age portraits – the kid has lived a sheltered live, self esteem and self consciousness are things to be built and to over come, and the script includes these notions throughout. The extremely young looking, no need to start shaving face and curly haired Alejandro Tocar is an interesting choice as Veiroj’s lead, although more emphasis could have tapped into the first pre-teen sentiments of feeling the need to seduce, being self conscious about being desired and the thoughts of becoming intimate with a person. The cassette tape play and rewind sequence certainly addresses that notion, but one can’t help be find more sequences like this instead of scenes the discuss following in a male pattern of smoking, drinking and gambling would habve been more useful. Tuned to the lead’s awful piano playing, Acne could have hit some low notes on some of those keys, for a more profound, long-lasting effect.
Reviewed at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival (Section: Director’s Fortnight)
May 18, 2008
. Running time: 87 MIN.
