Mosquita y Mari

 This week's film Mosquita y Mari was very sweet. It was easy to follow along and I really appreciated their friendship dynamic. It was interesting because you have Yolanda who is a good student, comes from a good family, and has a clear path for what she wants for her future. Then you have Mari who is struggling to get by, she's trying to pick up odd jobs to help her family, and she isn't doing so well in school. When Yolanda starts helping Mari with geometry, you could tell that the two really hit it off and also, Mari was improving in the class.

I felt that the film lacked dialouge. There wasn't much speaking, even between the two protagonists and I don't recall much background music either. I wonder if this was intentional. Regardless, it worked well with the film. I felt that I could pick up on the emotions of both the characters and especially when they were together, the way they looked at each other provided a lot of context. 

One thing that was brought up in class was if the two were really into each other in romantic way or not. I could see it from both prospectives. I could see it as Yolanda and Mari are just really good friends and are sometimes touchy with other. Many other students in the class remembered their first romantic interest being with their best friend, something I couldn't relate to. So maybe, Yolanda and Mari's relationship really was romantic but because I hadn't experienced an intense friendship like that before, I couldn't be too sure on what signs to look for.

Something that was quite annoying thoroughout the film was the pressure for both Yolanda and Mari to hang out with boys. They're both 15, which I understand is the time for most kids to start developing relationships with the opposite sex. What makes it more confusing is the fact that their parents tell them not to get into cars with boys. So it ultimately leaves them with one option. It's confusing because which is worse, getting into cars with boys/having a boyfriend or getting into a relationship with your best friend/having a girlfriend? 

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. Especially the ending. It doesn't give the audience a clear answer on the fate of Yolanda and Mari's relationship nor does it give insight on their individual futures. But the intense eye contact is there again and there is little to no dialouge. It leaves room for the audience to form their own narrative on what could happen.