#140RVW
Mostly improv film knocked out while in Chile unsuccessfully making another movie. Probably more fun if taking hallucinogen like the actors.
What’s more:
This is less a movie than a side project. Michael Cera was in Chile with writer/director Sebastián Silva and his brothers learning Spanish to make the thriller Magic Magic, which was in development hell. So they decided to film a small picture loosely based on a couple of Silva’s life experiences. They added Gaby Hoffman as the titular Crystal Fairy (based on a real person), took drugs and improvised.
Since it’s so improvisational, most of it rides on the acting. It’s a brave role for Hoffman, a former child actor, who really goes for it as a New Age hippie who bares herself emotionally and physically for most of the film. She’s easily the best thing in the picture.
Michael Cera is fascinating because he plays against type as a self-centered jerk that you really want to slap. He sells it so effectively that you can forget that you’ve thought he was such a nice guy in every other movie.
The rest of the cast consists of the director’s three brothers, who are all really good. They each bring something a little different to the mix and have a very natural and watchable style.
Interestingly, some of the actors actually tripped off of the hallucinogen from the San Pedro cactus on screen, adding to the credibility of their performances and making this otherwise largely unforgettable movie somewhat memorable.
If you’re a fan of drug movies or road movies or have actually tripped on mescaline, this may be a whole lot more enjoyable. For the rest of us, it’s an interesting diversion but nothing more.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: B (7 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Michael Cera Jamie, Gaby Hoffmann Crystal Fairy, Juan Andrés Silva Champa, Agustín Silva Pilo |
| Rating | Not Rated |
| Release Date | Fri 17 Jan 2014 UTC |
| Director | Sebastián Silva |
| Genres | Adventure, Comedy |
| Plot | As Jamie travels in Chile, he invites an eccentric woman to join his group’s quest to score a fabled hallucinogen, a move that finds him at odds with his new companion, until they drink the magic brew on a beach at the edge of the desert. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 98 |
| Tagline | |
| Writers | Sebastián Silva (written by) |
| Year | 2013 |