Gordos (Fat People)

So been watching comedies but this film by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo was a little bit darker and was able to enjoy it a little bit more as there are five main characters and each generates a story that converge in the therapy group where the film begins.

Basically is a film about obesity and people trying to find the causes of their disease, the reasons that impel: to eat, to keep little rewarding personal relationships and to flee from its realities. Combines drama and comedy so is light and deep and conciliates bitterness and sweetness; but mainly is about the many contradictions that obese people could have. Consequently you have melodrama in the story of the therapist as well as in the woman that got fat while her partner left to America for work; comedy in the very religious couple as well as in the fat family where only the son is skinny; and ludicrous tragedy in the homosexual who ends up marrying the widow of his associate who he murdered for love.

What I liked is that for me is an exploration, or better, a metaphor for all that we swallow, for everything that fattens us and makes our life heavier as well as all the contradictions that only fuel undesired actions.

Maybe above commentaries are too serious for a film that intends to be mainly a comedy, but I believe that film is more drama than comedy as I didn’t laugh that much; after all there are not many movies that tell stories about fat people and their relationships with other fat and skinny people. This movie does it while trying to be entertaining.

As a film is average, the value of this film is the story if you don’t mind watching fat people (some scenes are in the nude) that lose and gain weight for real, as actors had to gain weight for when they’re performing their fat character which makes film quite credible/believable against those films that use prosthetics to make characters fat. Film was in the Giornate degli Autori at the 2009 Biennale, was official selection in 2009 Stockholm fest and was nominated for many Goya’s at 2010 annual awards plus collected other honors while transited the festival circuit.

I do recommend film if you are struggling with your size (no matter if you’re fat or not for real) or know someone that does and is close to you, as maybe story could give you some food for thought as story touches almost every reason and consequence that drives people to get overweight.

Enjoy.

Watch trailer @MOC