The creative realm is full of surprises. It throws at you, ideas and stories that are almost unimaginable from certain perspectives.
A new Mexican movie on Netflix does the same. Called ‘I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me,’ it is an offbeat comedy, thriller, and deadpan.
Just knowing about the genres makes you go gaga and raises expectations.
Anyhow, the total length of the film is almost two hours. My review will help lay bare the movie’s performance.
I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me Synopsis
A few days before leaving for his major studies in Literature, Juan is forced into the crime world by a syndicate gang.
Directed by Fernando Frias de la Parra, the movie stars Dario Yazbek (Juan Pablo), Natalia Solian (Valentina), Anna Castillo (Laia Carbonell), Alexis Ayala (Licenciado), Ivano Palatucci (Jimi), and others.
It is based on the novel of the same name by Juan Pablo Villalobos.
What Works for I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me?
The film unfolds with an unconventional beginning that maintains its distinctiveness until the final moments.
Noteworthy is its unique approach to a first-person narrative, where the story intermittently propels forward from the protagonist’s perspective.
At the forefront is a lead character, a writer whose aspirations for further education take an unexpected turn when coerced into a life of crime by a formidable gang.
Either he can say NO and die alongside all his loved ones, or he can accept their orders. Quite an obvious choice there.
The buildup is nice and allows the movie to create an intriguing premise. From what I could gather, the biggest advantage of ‘I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me,’ is its ‘intended’ writing.
It manages to put forward a multi-layered narrative, where there is a story within a story.
‘I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me’ is largely offbeat, if you look at it that way.
Unfortunately, these are the only good things about the movie, in my opinion.
How are the Performances?
Dario Yazbek plays Juan Pablo, the lead character. His unpretentious countenance strikes a chord with the audience.
The actor succeeds in the non-expression of emotions, which is one of the goals of a deadpan film.
Natalia Solian as Valentina gives an honest performance. She shines despite the burdensome plot that seeks more out of her but doesn’t provide her with the resources to do the same.
Anna Castillo has a very small role in the movie and it is pretty insignificant as well. After her stupendous performance in Nowhere, this feels like an underutilization of sorts.
What Doesn’t Work for I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me?
The story isn’t coherent. It is needlessly stretched for two hours without opening up essential threads.
In the end, you might have plenty of doubts regarding ‘I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me.’
The makers never try to explain the meatiest parts.
What work did Pablo and his cousin used to do earlier? How did Pablo and his girlfriend’s relationship go sour? What was his background? Where did his parents live?
The list is endless, and continuing it would mean putting out spoilers, which I don’t want. Some of the elements, or plot twists don’t make any sense at all.
Logic has no presence in ‘I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me.’ Understood, they wanted to make a deadpan, but this just doesn’t fit the genre.
There is minor humor in the plot, dark, crude, or whatever. It is highly doubtful that even a niche audience would prefer to watch it after a certain point.
Moreover, character sketches are weak, thanks to an uneventful execution after trying a lot to make it eventful.
Take the example of the main antagonist known as ‘The Lawyer’. His identity is kept confidential initially and you only get to hear his voice.
This is aimed at making him appear dangerous. However, the guy’s face is suddenly disclosed out of nowhere. All the buildup goes to waste.
There is a scene in the film where an item of importance is disclosed by another character from the protagonist’s stuff.
It feels too staged. For the protagonist to find it first was the simplest of things to do. But the writers decide to use it as an element of twist.
Furthermore, the screenplay’s dark tone, coupled with a languid pace that exacerbates in the middle, adds to the film’s woes.
Getting into a writer’s mind is not easy when you’re adapting a book into a film. The narration matters more in this medium because of the presence of visual principles.
You cannot mix imagination with the writer’s reality.
If you are showing firsthand writing from the first person’s perspective, how can you talk about the whereabouts of anyone other than yourself?
You can only write what you know. If you are allowing this significant aspect to slip, then you must also draft an ending on your own.
You cannot ask for cinematic liberty when you are playing with fire. It just makes you look as if you want fiction to be treated as reality or at least for people to ask for distinction.
One can decipher the story upon repeat viewings. But why would a filmmaker want their audience to go through an arduous process?
Stream or Skip?
Well, for me, it is easy to recommend skipping it. However, these are the kind of films critics praise a lot. So, maybe, you should give it a half-hour trial to judge based on your individual preference.
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