Retrospective: Nicotina (2003)

[Kam-Hung Soh]

Characters whose paths intersect in one busy night in a Mexican city: 
Nene (Lucas Crespi) and his partner, Tomson (Jesús Ochoa) hire computer 
cracker Nolo (Diego Luna) to get bank passwords for Russian gangster 
Svoboda (Norman Sotolongo). While on the job, Nolo spys on his pretty 
neighbour Andrea (Marta Beláustegui), a concert musician who is having 
an affair with her conductor and also her upstairs neighbour. We also 
meet two bickering couples, barber Goyo (Rafael Inclan) and his wife 
Carmen (Rosa María Bianchi), and chemist Carlos (Eugenio Montessoro) and 
his wife Clara (Carmen Madrid).

The story plays out roughly in real time as we watch the characters 
lurch from one crisis to another.  The initial scenes of Nolo and his 
neighbour run too long and don't go anywhere other than to set up the 
rest of the story. Oddly enough, while everyone argues about smoking or 
discuss life and smoking, nicotine has very little impact on the story.

The digital cinematography is plain and realistic but rather hard on the 
eye. Split screen and computer graphics are used in some scenes for 
additional effect.

Middling black crime-comedy.

Mexican with English subtitles.
3 out of 5 stars.
25 February 2009
Kam-Hung Soh
http://morvahouse.blogspot.com