Touches You

A Masterpiece!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A low-budget yet high quality movie. From the guts of the impenetrable south American rain forest we have this Pulp-Fictionish Paraguayan flick. Compelling, thrilling, breathtaking. Great acting while it unveils the social reality of people in the borderline of poverty striving to survive... and provide for their families. The veil of the action flick will soon fall showing the naked truth... for the keen eye. For those (like me) who had the chance to visit this country painted with different shades of black and white it will be a sort of revival into the street market with its color, musical "guarany" accent, smells and a sort of human flock growing around you. Scary sometimes but always, always, thrilling. A must-see.

With both substance and style. Plenty of style here. We are taken through the maze of a large market place in Paraguay. And the plot – revolving around the main character (who is well played by Celso Franco) – is also a maze with many twists and turns. We are kept guessing as to what will happen next. The characters are all well done – and so are their interactions.It's a swell film to watch with a reasonably good resolution. I can just imagine what Hollywood would do with this – pouring in loads of explosions and over-the-top gunfights. Instead we get a minimal exposure of violence – and instead of massive noise we get character development.

I guess I should be grateful that we have the opportunity to gamble once in a while and not just at "best of" lists to catch a great film. If that was the case, I'd be subjected to the best campaign or best overrated generic masterpiece of lately. Truly, I cherish independent cinema distributors because they allow the opportunity to catch a gem like "7 Boxes" to stimulate our senses and restore the belief that there is actually magic in the movies.The very dynamic and creative story never fails to capture or interests, grabbing from the very beginning as it establishes the mood, introduces the main characters, the exotic setting, and lights the fuse that will lead through a breathtaking and explosive ride and quite a fantastic ending.Here is a world full of poverty, audacity, competition, and the desire to survive, regardless of the mean. People appear to be hungry because they're not afraid to gamble their very existence for a few dollars. We see the basic activity at the core of the film, an exchange of services. Be there and make a few bucks so you can buy a sandwich, a hot dog, or a very coveted cell phone. Victor, a young man is one of those people who offer to carry your "merchandise" with their makeshift wheelbarrows. By pure look he appears to get a chance make a delivery that will bag him a $100 dollars, a fortune in his world. Everyone, including him, understand there must be some shady in the nature of the merchandise. One just doesn't ask questions because it usually leads more complicated and dangerous situations.As we expected, many people set their eyes on the "merchandise" and through a plot line that appears a bit complicated and a bit contrived at first, we get going, and this is where the film explodes with an originality sorely missing from American movies. This had origins on some very exciting planning, and every detail appears to be fleshed out, leaving nothing unattended. In the end, no matter how impossible the turn might seem, it makes complete sense.The seven boxes soon find their way in and out of the boy's hands, and the "butchers" who asked for their delivery soon find themselves in a more dangerous situation because of a misunderstood conversation that invites other parties to become involved in the twisted search for the boxes. Soon, we have some shady characters, transvestites, some clueless policemen, a very interesting Korean Romeo, abused girlfriends, some feral street children, and well, the mysterious content of the boxes.Everything about the film shines with originality, and it throws sparks at every turn. The editing and imaginative camera work shows us that there is still hope for those who have an eye to blend clever writing with dynamic camera-work, not relying too much on technique or special effects, or the overuse of colorful language. What is fresh here is how a simple metaphor referring to merchandise, or a certain food can take some shadings. At times, we fear its mention, and at others we can't stop laughing at the reference.I found that setting the film in the slums, and in the middle of this market teaming with all kinds of transactions, dealing with food, items, or even human trade never appears to overtake the solid acting by all the performers. Unlike films that trying to much with their verbosity and reliance on a naked body, a flash of a cleavage, or a loud soundtrack that if any, detracts us from the action, "7 Boxes" looks inside the characters by showing us what they yearn, giving us real relationships and showing the warts in the characters. The young people have grown a thick skin because they live in their own version of hell, and we see the inside of kitchens, the division of classes as a young couple can't make payment for the medication that might save a child's life, and how normal a robbery appears where it's shown for what it really is, without calling too much attention to itself, telling us watch how fantastic my direction and my writing is. We never forget it is a movie, but it is so well directed and acted that it never loses that authentic touch.Most important, we arrive to the conclusion with a full realization that every deed has a consequence, and that evil is contagious and affects even those who might appear to be innocent. We learn that information is valuable, and that no encounter is to be considered meaningless. A look is really worth a thousand words, and necessity is truly the mother of invention and creativity, both in the movie and the way a movie is made. It appears that working with limited resources and not having the most recognizable faces in the world might actually produce better results.A few years ago a little film called "Slumdog Millionaire" gave us hope the silver screen muse was alive and kicking. As of late, it appears the muse lives mostly in foreign films. Hopefully, it will be make a return to American films so we can enjoy a true golden era again. Bleaching the color out of a film, padding the conversations with unnecessary convolution doesn't make the movies better, and Shakespeare himself wrote for the masses, and I am sure he knew how the four letter words of his time, but somehow, we fail to find them in his plays, making it obvious that they are not essential to the success of the piece. I'd rather have a pinch of salt than dumping a whole bucket and spoil the effect.

What I appreciated the most about this movie was the outstandingly well crafted screenplay. As a foundation to the story, the socio-economical setting is very clearly established from the very beginning as well as each character's background and motivations. With such solid dramatic pillars, the story unfolds organically. No character is good, bad or stereotyped, their actions are a consequence of their history, their situation and their motivations. In the best style of Greek tragedy, the story brings us to discover how characters are unexpectedly connected and how seemingly casual acts have strong and logic consequences.The direction is very innovative and fresh in camera angles and editing that match well the techno-tropical music.I would put it up in the same category and caliber with City of Good as a sample of the best of Latin-American cinema.