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Review of Déficit
Review: DeficitWith Deficit, actor Gael Garcia Bernal (Babel, Y tu mama tambien) makes his directorial debut. Having collaborated with the likes Alfonso Cuaron and Michel Gondry on past films, one could have high expectations for the actor’s own filmmaking. The story itself is simple enough: while their parents are away on business, Crystobel (Gael Garcia Bernal) and his sister throw a house party for their friends. We get hints that Crystobel is under pressure from his parents—a rejection letter from Harvard comes in the mail—and the film chronicles his recklessness as he pushes their expectations further and further away. In a sense, Garcia Bernal has borrowed the best parts of the films he’s acted in: Crystobel feels like a more extroverted take on his awkward character from Gondry’s The Science of Sleep, which is emphasized by the camera’s lingering on the characters after a scene is seemingly finished (similar to Y tu mama tambien). While not the most substantial film (it runs a brisk 80 minutes), Deficit makes the most of Garcia Bernal’s collaborations and offers glimpses of style that is his own. Posted on 09/17/07 by: calmac 1 Comments
Barnesy Posted on 09/26/07 
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I found it refreshing that Bernal didn't try to over extend himself his first time out directing -- the simplicity works. (Although hardly something exclusive to Mexico, I think he did a really good job showing the dividing line between the working class and the well-to-dos!)