After watching PERFUME DE VIOLETAS one wonder's if Mexican Cinema can go beyond portraying the sour and depressing stories of urban life. This is not the first entry of the "true life" story gender. Not withstanding looking at the film the cinematic process stands-out beyond anything else. The actresses are great, if one considers that this was their film debut, the surprise is even bigger, great work by the director. The photography also adds to the realm of desperation and reality, a careful camera work with saturated images and colors, changing the lighting and atmosphere between the homes of the two girls. Probably the low point of the film is the music use. It's so directed to the marketing of the soundtrack that make's you wonder if there was other consideration in its use. When the image and the song show the same thing then one or the other is overstating and therefore a waste. Good work and an appalling ending. Its going for the Oscar but probably will be left before the nominees, but it's worth watching.
12 Reviews
3.5 stars
mweston18 April 2002
The main character, Yessica, is a tomboy who is often in trouble. As a result, she is transferred to a new school, where she meets Miriam, who lives with her mother in what seems to Yessica like luxury. While Miriam's mother's main concern is saving enough money to get a better television, Yessica doesn't even have a bedroom to sleep in or money for the most basic school supplies. When Yessica's step-brother arranges for her to be raped, things go from bad to worse. In her environment she doesn't feel like there is anyone she can tell, so she must suffer silently, which reminded me of how the women in "Missing Young Woman" were often not missed.
This film, which was Mexico's nomination for best foreign language film of 2001, is difficult to watch, but it's worth the effort. My notes also indicate that I liked the soundtrack. Seen at Cinequest (the San Jose, CA film festival) on 2/27/2002.
This film, which was Mexico's nomination for best foreign language film of 2001, is difficult to watch, but it's worth the effort. My notes also indicate that I liked the soundtrack. Seen at Cinequest (the San Jose, CA film festival) on 2/27/2002.
Perfume: Another good Mexican creation
agonzalez48315 January 2006
This is one of those Mexican movies that really deserve to be exposed all over the world. Today's Mexican Cinema is dedicated to show the the Mexican culture and its daily life and this movie just does that perfectly without falling within the Mexican movie clichè of unnecessary violence, sex and drug scenes.
The movie is crude, that's true, but at the same time its also very realistic and you commonly see all those same situations within the daily life of the urban poor circles back in Mexico City, although some of those practices are repressed and therefore not openly done.
This movie completely features the not-so-nice side of Mexican society and its practices and common life.
The movie is crude, that's true, but at the same time its also very realistic and you commonly see all those same situations within the daily life of the urban poor circles back in Mexico City, although some of those practices are repressed and therefore not openly done.
This movie completely features the not-so-nice side of Mexican society and its practices and common life.
Moving
jpastelin26 June 2001
It was shocking to see how nobody is able or willing to help in a critical abuse situation. The main character is abused by family, teachers and classmates in different ways, being ignorance the origin of this kind of abuse. When this girl suffers a sexual attack, things just get worse. The only reason she has to smile is friendship, which she finally destroys because of her distorted values and social skills.
Important issues with well acted roles and only some problems in the narrative
bob the moo24 May 2004
Yessica is a troubled teenage tomboy who moves schools again after being expelled for hitting her teacher. She lives in poor conditions with her brother Jorge, mother and two other very young siblings and she befriends the sweetly naïve Miriam who appears to Yessica to be living in luxury with her mother. The two become very good friends and spend a lot of time together. One day Jorge agrees to set up Yessica to be raped by one of his friends in exchange for money and afterwards threatens Miriam to keep quiet about it. Yessica's increasing reliance on Miriam puts pressure on their relationship.
What starts as a comment on the problem of sexual abuse in Mexico's cities turns into more of a specific dramatic story that is good for the most part but gets weaker as it goes. For the most part the film looks at the friendship between Yessica and Miriam and how both it and Yessica herself are changed when she is repeatedly raped by her brother's friend. For the vast majority of the film this is very involving and seems very real and rather moving; this changes a little near the end where events go further than they really should in the aim of bringing the film to a dramatic close, but it's point is still made. It is not really easy to get into mainly because Yessica is never once made an easy character to feel for she is troubled, unpleasant and difficult and the film rightly challenges us that these characteristics may not be there, they may have been caused and we are wrong to judge her or label her. The plot maybe lacks enough going on to fill out the time and parts of the second half feel like they drag a little bit, but this is a minor problem and it is hard to lose interest due to the nature of the story.
The characters are pretty well drawn despite being a little bit basic outside of the lead two. Both Yessica and Miriam change over the duration of the film. Yessica is the most convincing but Miriam's is harder to understand despite also being engaging and interesting. It is fortunate that both characters are very well acted. Ayala takes the hardest role and manages to make it work well; she wins the audience's sympathy but not by just becoming pathetic or needy. Gutiérrez is sweeter and a more sympathetic character and manages to be realistic even when the plot turns and makes her character more difficult to follow along with. The rest of the cast are good with their smaller roles and I didn't think there were any bad performances in the piece.
Overall this is a difficult film but one that is worth seeing. The plot deals with an important issue and manages to do it well despite overextending itself towards the end. The performances are natural and really drive the film. It is far from perfect and it is lacking in several areas but it is involving and important enough to be worth a watch at least once.
What starts as a comment on the problem of sexual abuse in Mexico's cities turns into more of a specific dramatic story that is good for the most part but gets weaker as it goes. For the most part the film looks at the friendship between Yessica and Miriam and how both it and Yessica herself are changed when she is repeatedly raped by her brother's friend. For the vast majority of the film this is very involving and seems very real and rather moving; this changes a little near the end where events go further than they really should in the aim of bringing the film to a dramatic close, but it's point is still made. It is not really easy to get into mainly because Yessica is never once made an easy character to feel for she is troubled, unpleasant and difficult and the film rightly challenges us that these characteristics may not be there, they may have been caused and we are wrong to judge her or label her. The plot maybe lacks enough going on to fill out the time and parts of the second half feel like they drag a little bit, but this is a minor problem and it is hard to lose interest due to the nature of the story.
The characters are pretty well drawn despite being a little bit basic outside of the lead two. Both Yessica and Miriam change over the duration of the film. Yessica is the most convincing but Miriam's is harder to understand despite also being engaging and interesting. It is fortunate that both characters are very well acted. Ayala takes the hardest role and manages to make it work well; she wins the audience's sympathy but not by just becoming pathetic or needy. Gutiérrez is sweeter and a more sympathetic character and manages to be realistic even when the plot turns and makes her character more difficult to follow along with. The rest of the cast are good with their smaller roles and I didn't think there were any bad performances in the piece.
Overall this is a difficult film but one that is worth seeing. The plot deals with an important issue and manages to do it well despite overextending itself towards the end. The performances are natural and really drive the film. It is far from perfect and it is lacking in several areas but it is involving and important enough to be worth a watch at least once.
Nobody listened to her tormented soul...
insomniac_rod28 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Semi exploitation movie that is more of a social critic against Mexican's lower class. I have mixed feelings for this movie. First, when it came out in theaters I thought it was a pretentious low budget movie that tried to capitalize the growing social discontent in Mèxico caused by the controversial 2000 Presidential elections. Mèxico City has always been a target for society's biggest problems like raping, extreme poverty, robbing, etc. I didn't like how crude this movie was and how it didn't had subtlety.
Years later after a second watch my opinions changed. The truth is that "Perfume de Violetas" is a perfect display of the true horrors that the low class suffer.
There are strong scenes that will be better understood by an adult audience although teenagers should watch them with maturity. For example, Yessica's menstruation problems, the raping scenes, physical and verbal violence, and the disturbing ending. Those and more scenes will give you a better perspective of how child abuse is something that could lead to irreversible tragedies. Open your eyes and raise your ears parents! Sometimes, we as teenagers feel that nobody listens to our so called problems.
This movie will certainly depress you but it will also open your eyes...
The technical values of the movie aren't the best but the low budget was squeezed to it's maximum. The acting couldn't be better. Ximena Ayala delivers a raw, believable, dramatic, and solid performance. She simply shines as the tormented Yessica. Many girls for sure will feel identified with it. Nancy Gutièrrez is perfect as the cute and naive Miriam. I just wanted to hold her and save her from her destiny! Very good performance. The sexy and mature Arcelia Ramìrez delivers a solid performance as the hard working mother. Marìa Rojo is great as always. The rest of the cast is also very good. The direction is also crude but perfect. It truly shows how is Mèxico City at day and night. My only beef is with the score but it's just a matter of tastes because it isn't bad at all although some songs I feel are out of place. So this is a perfect example of how low budget can do wonders.
NOBODY LISTENED TO HER... Through Yessica and Miriam we have the two faces of the coin. On one side, we have the tender, skinny Miriam who only lives with her hard working mother who always is pending on her. Her life isn't perfect exactly talking about economic and social questions, but she has everything to succeed in a future. On the other side, we have Yessica; a troubled girl who cannot express her inner fears and preoccupations because she reasonably feels that nobody will listen to her. Her mother spends her time taking care of her young brother and spending time with her lover (s?); her step-brother who prostitutes her with a friend; and her school friends who discriminate her for being something like tomboy. So she only has Miriam, her only friend.
Through some events we can understand that Yessica had extremely and growing jealousy for Miriam. But it isn't because Yessica is a bad person or something; it is because she's a misunderstood and tormented soul who was only asking for comprehension and love. Through Miriam, she saw what she always wanted to be but she couldn't.
Years later after a second watch my opinions changed. The truth is that "Perfume de Violetas" is a perfect display of the true horrors that the low class suffer.
There are strong scenes that will be better understood by an adult audience although teenagers should watch them with maturity. For example, Yessica's menstruation problems, the raping scenes, physical and verbal violence, and the disturbing ending. Those and more scenes will give you a better perspective of how child abuse is something that could lead to irreversible tragedies. Open your eyes and raise your ears parents! Sometimes, we as teenagers feel that nobody listens to our so called problems.
This movie will certainly depress you but it will also open your eyes...
The technical values of the movie aren't the best but the low budget was squeezed to it's maximum. The acting couldn't be better. Ximena Ayala delivers a raw, believable, dramatic, and solid performance. She simply shines as the tormented Yessica. Many girls for sure will feel identified with it. Nancy Gutièrrez is perfect as the cute and naive Miriam. I just wanted to hold her and save her from her destiny! Very good performance. The sexy and mature Arcelia Ramìrez delivers a solid performance as the hard working mother. Marìa Rojo is great as always. The rest of the cast is also very good. The direction is also crude but perfect. It truly shows how is Mèxico City at day and night. My only beef is with the score but it's just a matter of tastes because it isn't bad at all although some songs I feel are out of place. So this is a perfect example of how low budget can do wonders.
NOBODY LISTENED TO HER... Through Yessica and Miriam we have the two faces of the coin. On one side, we have the tender, skinny Miriam who only lives with her hard working mother who always is pending on her. Her life isn't perfect exactly talking about economic and social questions, but she has everything to succeed in a future. On the other side, we have Yessica; a troubled girl who cannot express her inner fears and preoccupations because she reasonably feels that nobody will listen to her. Her mother spends her time taking care of her young brother and spending time with her lover (s?); her step-brother who prostitutes her with a friend; and her school friends who discriminate her for being something like tomboy. So she only has Miriam, her only friend.
Through some events we can understand that Yessica had extremely and growing jealousy for Miriam. But it isn't because Yessica is a bad person or something; it is because she's a misunderstood and tormented soul who was only asking for comprehension and love. Through Miriam, she saw what she always wanted to be but she couldn't.
Really Now/
phuckracistgop9 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I can understand how some victims of sexual abuse are reluctant at times to report or confide in people regarding said assault.
But what stands out as a Big WTF would be Yessica being punished after the two boys stole the photos and would bot return them. Add the idiotic excuse that the principle gave as being disrespectful when it was the teacher who put Yessica under the spot light in class by insisting upon her telling why she transferred to this school.
Also when it came to the end of the movie and that ridicules fight in the girls room that kills Miriam was weaker than two percent milk. .And having Yessica run to her friends house and get into her bed is a bit far fetched. How about her just going to the police and reporting the sexual assault that the school; nurse observed when she examined the girl???
I guess logical conclusions don't make good movies if I were to follow the pattern of BS that this writers tend to feed us.
But what stands out as a Big WTF would be Yessica being punished after the two boys stole the photos and would bot return them. Add the idiotic excuse that the principle gave as being disrespectful when it was the teacher who put Yessica under the spot light in class by insisting upon her telling why she transferred to this school.
Also when it came to the end of the movie and that ridicules fight in the girls room that kills Miriam was weaker than two percent milk. .And having Yessica run to her friends house and get into her bed is a bit far fetched. How about her just going to the police and reporting the sexual assault that the school; nurse observed when she examined the girl???
I guess logical conclusions don't make good movies if I were to follow the pattern of BS that this writers tend to feed us.
Nobody hears you...
uninvited_weirdo9 February 2003
"Perfume de violetas" is, by far, one of the best and most underrated Mexican films in years. The story is shocking and touching, the direction by Sistatch is marvelous and the acting is superb (just watch the two girls, they're wonderful). No more words. Just see this film. Four stars out of four.
brief opinion
gilbertocarranza13 August 2004
I think "Perfume de Violetas" is a crude reality of what happens in the life of many young girls, not only in Mexico City, but in many big cities among Latin America. This type of films are very under estimated in today's film industry. I think that like in many other occasion is a form of showing the authorities what the society is afraid to demand. I'm proud as a Mexican of what the Mexican writers and film makers are doing now, by far the best work that new generations had seen lately. I wonder why sponsors don't support films that doesn't show pretty, well known artist or doesn't have nudity scenes. I hope I didn't waste this space that could be for somebody else's opinion..
A true eye-opener
selfubam17 August 2002
I used to live in Mexico and this was definitely the best movie I saw there, and by far the best movie ever made on the life of the poor people of La Ciudad de México. Although Mexico to me is a very distinct place from the one described by the movie, it was shocking to see that these people living in true agony passed by the same places where I'd been and took the same bus as I did. It gave me a totally new perspective on my ride when I sat on that bus again the next morning. Life to most people on this planet is extremely cruel, but sometimes we seem to forget it, even if it's right beneath your very own eyes. Perfume de violetas opened my eyes; I think it would be good to remember that there are over 20 million people living in Mexico City, with the number rising by nearly 3000 every day, and that most people aren't even as well-off as Yessica, and definitely not as lucky as Miriam. Viva Mexico, eh!?!
Another little gem from Mexico
zio ugo15 January 2003
Almost a new generation Italian neo-realist film minus the political commitment, plus a sense that there is more to suffering than poverty alone: decades of social fragmentation and of "me" ideology have left us all as closed as Leibnitzian windowless monads: packed everywhere, but incapable of any elementary form of communication.
The Italian neo-realists, more or less close to various forms of socialism, had here and there glimpse of (naive, as it was to be seen) hope into the "new man." No such feeling is present here. The sky has closed upon us and is not going to open anytime soon.
All in all, a superb, if terribly dramatic film. The final scene is an absolute masterpiece, hinting at unspeakable horrors directed towards the already beaten, raped, and victimized protagonist, with the exquisite restrain not to show them at all.
A great film, which takes on important themes (sexual violence among teenagers, the dissolution of family and social bonds, the apathy of society towards "inconvenient" realities) without puritan restrain but without unnecessary gore. Highly recommended.
The Italian neo-realists, more or less close to various forms of socialism, had here and there glimpse of (naive, as it was to be seen) hope into the "new man." No such feeling is present here. The sky has closed upon us and is not going to open anytime soon.
All in all, a superb, if terribly dramatic film. The final scene is an absolute masterpiece, hinting at unspeakable horrors directed towards the already beaten, raped, and victimized protagonist, with the exquisite restrain not to show them at all.
A great film, which takes on important themes (sexual violence among teenagers, the dissolution of family and social bonds, the apathy of society towards "inconvenient" realities) without puritan restrain but without unnecessary gore. Highly recommended.
It is a shame....
gdelatorre15 July 2001
The story is about a school girl that suffer all kind of abuse and it seems like the exit of it's friendship???...Wrong....the only thing capable of get rid of her poor way of life, it was not enough...the fist half of the story was entertaining by the second half the girl suffer a strange transformation and you don't know if she was really sick or it's just that she doesn't care anything or anyone...And the end???...well it is a shame
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