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| Angel (Carlos Alberto Orozco) in Adiys Mundo Cruel. |
By Don Simpson
Angel (Carlos Alberto Orozco) is a mousy yet hardworking accountant and family man whose comfortable middle-class existence is turned upside down when he is unexpectedly laid off (supposedly at the fault of the Chinese).
Unable to communicate his lack of employment to his wife, Claudia (Ariana Louvier), who is constantly distracted by her favorite telenovela, Angel scurries around the city fruitlessly searching for a new job, experiencing one ridiculous job interview after another. Fate eventually delivers Angel to the hideout of a merry band of buffoonish thieves with whom he discovers camaraderie and confidence...but still no income. Quickly revealed as the smartest of the lot, Angel conceives of the perfect crime: steal a lion from the city's zoo and collect a hefty ransom.
Written and directed by University of Texas at Austin alumni Jack Zagha Kababie, Adiуs Mundo Cruel plays as satirical slapstick comedy about the foibles of capitalism. Orozco effortlessly carries the film on his shoulders or, more appropriately, his mug. Like a silent film star, Orozco’s comedic talents stem from his face -- skillfully able to switch his cartoonish expressions, which run the gambit from ecstasy to depression, on a dime.
Taking into consideration it’s hefty competition (namely Hello Lonesome and Dog Sweat), I am very surprised that Adiуs Mundo Cruel nabbed the Best Narrative Feature award at the 2010 Austin Film Festival. Although Adiуs Mundo Cruel is funny and entertaining, it relies a bit too heavily on toilet jokes for my liking.
