Los Parecidos (2015) Reviews

• Los Parecidos

  cris_stonehead2016-10-08

  "Los Parecidos/The Similars" the second film by Mexican director Issac Ezban really is "A love letter to the science fiction movies of the 60s". The mysterious plot of the film is bizarrely addressed by the style that the young director is creating, mixing photography and really amazing soundtrack transports you to another era. The film reminds us the classic episodes of the "Twilight Zone" and the music of the film remind us the musicalization of the works of Alfred Hitchcock. No doubt Ezban Issac and his team are doing a great work resurrecting the science fiction genre in México.

• Fine, not great. Good ambiance.

  amc6722018-09-09

  An interesting photography. Irregular performances (the kid was not my favorite). Good atmosphere generating suspense. Music that more than to homage Bernard Herrman's scores, sounds like plagiarism (also final credits look like quite similar to North by Northwest and Psycho titles, beyond a homage). The script is interesting but I do not feel an strong closure and even could be considered for some a 68's mexican student massacre trivialization. just to watch one occasion without demanding too much. And if you are a Hitchcock's fan, like I am, you probably could feel uncomfortable for excessive similarities in technical aspects. Anyway, enough to feel curious and seeing another Ezban's work. 6/10

• We are all alike… We are all Ulises!

  Coventry2016-04-01

  In case you're a huge fan of nostalgic Sci-Fi/horror movies from the fifties and sixties, or an admirer of landmark and genre-determining TV-series like "The Twilight Zone" or "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", then "The Similars" is undoubtedly the best motion picture you'll see this year (and probably in the next few years to come). I'm a tremendous fan of the aforementioned decades and titles and I instantly knew I wanted to see this one as soon as I laid my eyes on the fantastic old- school film poster, what with its lovely use of green shades and its illustration of a hysterical face covered in bandages. The poster seems to come straight out of the sixties, and so does the entire movie, in fact. Writer/director Isaac Ezban was present at the Brussels' International Festival of Fantastic Films, where I watched it, and openly declared his love and devotion for the genre as well as his fascination for all the external influences, political and social, that were processed into the screenplays of the movies back then. Ezban tried to do the same with "The Similars" and I can easily confirm that he succeeded, since the story he invented here is easily one of the most original and imaginatively refreshing ones I've seen in a long time. In the fall of 1968, in a little village that is located in five hours driving distance from Mexico City, a handful of people are stranded in an old bus station. They are desperately waiting for the next bus, but it won't come since all public transport is disrupted due to the unusually heavy rainfall. Some more people strand at the station and via the radio they learn that the rain showers apparently form a worldwide issue and the drops might even be acid. Inside the station the tension mounts between the stranded passengers and inexplicable phenomena start to occur. The people's faces gradually begin to alter and look exactly like the face of Ulises, the man who arrived at the bus stop first. Álvaro, a fanatic med student on his way to the protest mars in the city, is convinced that Ulises is part of a secret governmental experiment, but given strange nature of the events, it's far more likely that paranormal forces are at work. Isaac Ezban, with the help of his wonderful ensemble cast of course, truly brings to life some essential aspects of sixties' cinema, most notably the Cold War paranoia, the ominous atmosphere as well as the consecutive series of inexplicably supernatural occurrences. To give just one example, the scene where the baffled characters discover that not only their own faces but also those in magazines and on wall posters is a masterful slice of cinematic craftsmanship. Of course, and inevitably, "The Similars" isn't entirely without flaws. Sci-Fi flicks from the old days as well episodes from "The Twilight Zone" were particularly effective just because they only had running times of around 60 minutes or even less. Although not exaggeratedly lengthy, "The Similars" occasionally feels a bit tedious and, especially when reaching the finale, overlong. Ezban also has a few issues to properly explain all the mysterious events near the end and all too easily ends his film with a stern voice-over reciting a kind of text like "some things in this universe simply can't be clarified". On the other hand, that's typically old school Sci-Fi as well! "The Similars" is a very good and joyful movie to watch, preferably amidst a large crowd (for example a festival) where you can share your amazement at some of the plot twists with fellow genre admirers.

• What On Earth Is Going On?

  rontepper-384012015-10-31

  1968 was a turbulent time in both Mexican and United States history. It was a time of great sociological unrest, when authority was questioned, and social protests became prominent. While the United States lost Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, the Mexican government used its power to suppress political opposition from innocent students leading to a massacre in Tlatelolco during the reign of president Diaz- shortly before the 1968 Olympics. I bring this up only because it serves as background for Isaac Ezban's fascinating and imaginative second Science Fiction film- "The Similars". Setup- 8 people find themselves stranded at a bus station during a devastating rainstorm only five hours outside of Mexico City. But this is no ordinary storm, nor are the news reports that come in. This rain contains a lot more than just water. The cast of characters are comprised of an old man on the verge of retirement, a pregnant woman on the run, a medical student, a mother and her handicapped son, and a few significant others. As with his brilliant debut film- "El Incidente", the characters seem inconsequential to the story. They are used merely to examine the human condition when put in a position of extreme circumstance. As the story unfolds, we witness a strange phenomenon. Each character, by way of a bizarre seizure, wake up no memory and the same face. As expected tensions arise, characters become desperate for answers, paranoia takes over, and violence- including a few deaths. The student fears the government is involved. Others believe it's the Devil. An old native Aztec woman has an opinion too, but nobody can understand a word she says. Could one of these characters hold the secret? Is there some sort of cosmic game taking place? Can fantasy become an uncontrollable reality? There is dark humor throughout this film, which Ezban delivers- tongue in cheek. I won't spoil the surprises. This is a fun, imaginative journey into Science Fiction. While his feature film "El Incidente" was explained within the context of abstract spiritual realism, this story has it's dots well connected and unfolds with perfect timing. The film's main metaphor is - what does man become when stripped of his identity? That was in question that tragic day in Tlatelolco in 1968. Somehow, the military forgot that individuality can not be compromised, and there are dangers when our identity is suppressed in favor of forced conformity- in other words- when people are forced to "All Become The Same" (tagline). The fact that Ezban used a Sociological equivalency to his Sy/Fy story shows that this Director may become a true future visionary in the world of modern day Cinema. The direction of Ezban, along with the cinematography of Isi Sarfati, leave the film with a real 60s look and feel. Yes, this is very much Ezban's tribute to Rod Serling's - The Twilight Zone - A combination of 4 ("Mirror Image", "It's a Good Life", "Mind and the Matter", & "Monsters are due on Maple Street") with a unique twist by Ezban that Serling would have loved. Like great Writers and Directors, Ezban's story is fun, fascinating, and totally original- and just when you think you have the film figured out, he throws us the proverbial curve ball and dares us to hit it. Don't be misled by the trailer. Violence is kept to a minimum. On imagination alone, I give this a rating of 8/10.

• Los Parecidos: Erm......

  Platypuschow2019-01-15

  I don't have much experience with Mexican cinema, looking over my ratings I see I haven't had much luck either. With just a 3/10 this is still the highest rated Mexican movie I've seen! It tells the story of a group of strangers who come together in a bus station during a mysterious down pour and...............I can't really say anything else without going into spoiler territory. What I can say is it's weird, like really really weird and I struggled to take it seriously. There were moments I assumed it was a comedy, but it's actually not. It heavily reminded me of something you'd see on the Twilight Zone or Outer Limits but had been stretched out into a 90 minute movie. The premise is ridiculous, the whole thing doesn't come together in the end. Yes it's explained, it just isn't very good. I wish I could go deeper into this film and explain but saying anything would spoil it (Not that there is much to spoil). All I'll say is this is certainly one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen, it's highly original but that isn't always a good thing. The Good: Very original Very stylish The Bad: Too silly to be taken seriously Overall it's bafflingly awful