Life According to Muriel (1997) User Reviews

Momentous, in small ways

[KFL · 8/10 · 14 May 2002]

Nine-year-old Muriel and her mother leave Buenos Aires for parts unknown. A freak accident, which reminds us of the importance of using the parking brake, renders them destitute, and they must beg for a roof over their heads.

This leads to other developments, which I will not describe, except to say that they're not generally what you'd expect. In particular, occurrences that will tend to be viewed by those inured to Hollywood fare as foreshadowing or sinister hints of an ugly surprise may end up being (as in life) groundless.

Fairly realistic slice-of-(somewhat unusual)-life in a breathtakingly beautiful corner of Argentina. Touching, saddening, thoughtful, seldom dull. Not unlike "Central Station" in some respects. Worth going out of your way for, if you like this kind of movie.

Life by the lake

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 31 March 2006]

"Life according to Muriel" is worth a look. Director Eduardo Milewicz fares much better with this film, than with "Samy y yo", which was done after. Mr. Milewicz, working also on the screen play with Susana Silvestre, takes us to the south of Argentina to a place, that for all practical purposes could well be the end of the earth.

The film opens as Laura is cramming her small car with her possessions. Muriel, her young daughter wants to know where are they going. Laura and Muriel end up in the deep South of the country. As they stop to contemplate the view of a lake, their car goes out of control and plunges into the water with all their belongings.

Laura discovers a small house nearby where a lonely woman and her two children live. Mirta, is reluctant to let them stay. It appears Mirta also has given up on another life and is now living in that remote spot and wants no company. Mirta makes a living making jams and marmalades that she gives to Tony, a kind fellow, to sell for her in nearby markets. Tony, who secretly loves Mirta, never sends the letters she entrusts him to mail for her because he is in love with her. Mirta, finally realizes Laura's life and hers share a lot in common. The two women decide to rebuild the hotel that had been part of the house they now share.

The sudden arrival of Ernesto, who is Muriel's father, absent from their lives for seven years, puts a strain in the household, which by now, has a nice rhythm of its own. Muriel is told who Ernesto really is, and they bond. As the weather has gotten nicer, Laura's car is finally going to be rescued from the water, but in the process, a gruesome discovery is made.

The film is nice to the eye. The only thing that doesn't make sense is Ernesto. Since Laura has told no one about where she is staying, how does he get to that remote spot? Things are not explained. Also, it's clear Ernesto is Cuban, which seems to be another contradiction in the story. Mr. Milewicz asks a lot from us, as this situation doesn't ring true.

Where Mr. Milewicz succeeds is with the acting he got from this ensemble cast. Soledad Villamil and Ines Esteve do good work as Laura and Mirta, and young Florencia Camiletti is perfect and sweet as Muriel.

Slow paced, but real, insightful and unique.

[taylor-abrahamson · 8/10 · 12 November 2009]

"La vida según Muriel" had a certain realness to it which, though slow paced, seamed to adequately keep my attention. The pace of the movie was clearly meant to feel slow, as though almost in real time and the director, Eduardo Milewicz, used slow shots to portray this feeling. Another technique used to slow down the pace was the lack of music during most of the film. The only actual sound track was one song which was played in pieces throughout the whole movie, and it was a very slow sort of soothing song.

The film briefly begins in the city of Buenos Aires, and then after a road trip lands somewhere in the desolate mountains. It really portrays the way of life in the Argentine country side, away from almost everything. If not for the cars, it would be hard to tell what century it was throughout the entire middle section of the film. The house being lit by candles, oil lamps and only a few barely working light bulbs really drives home the feeling of old, and traditional. On top of all of that an old low quality camera was used to make the film, giving it that last bit of authenticity. There is one scene which really brings to light the contrast of the modern world with the lost countryside, and that is when a pair of backpackers pitch a very shiny new tent on the beach, and play modern music on their boom-box by the fire.

Life in Patagonia

[Prof_Lostiswitz · 9/10 · 17 April 2004]

Life According to Muriel gives us a fascinating glimpse of Patagonia, a place we see all too seldom (in movies or elsewhere).

But there are more reasons than that. The story, told from a little girl's perspective (Muriel), concerns an eccentric single mother who leaves Buenos Aires to go and live in the mountains. She stashes all her belongings (and her kid) in the car, and heads for the hills, destination uncertain. After the car (containing money and possessions) is destroyed, the two (now destitute)go to seek shelter at a run-down hotel occupied by another single mother.

After initially being shooed away, Muriel and her mother are grudgingly given a night's sanctuary. Although the two women distrust each other (the airhead city girl versus the practical country matron), they determine to get along because both have basically been left in the lurch.

Muriel's father later puts in an appearance, but this leads nowhere and he drops out of the picture again; meanwhile the hotel-owner has a contretemps with the errand-boy, who has designs on her - and this has unfortunate results.

The story doesn't really have an ending, it is one of those continuum-of-life things. The two families go their separate ways, but in the last shot it is suggested that they are re-uniting.

The film doesn't sound very exciting, but it works its charm on you for no definable reason. And how many Argentine films do you get to see anyway?

A very respectable, enjoyable film

[jtur88 · 9/10 · 16 February 2001]

Just when I began to feel that nobody who speaks Spanish can make a serious film, along come the Argentines again. At first, I asked myself if I would have liked this picture if it were an American production, or was it just the exotic feel of it that kept me going. But as it evolved, I grew more and more captivated by the developments, and realized that this was a well-scripted piece, with an ongoing plot, and all roles were well-performed. Generally, a couple of hours very well spent, and I can recommend this film.