Amalia the Secretary (2018) User Reviews

AMALIA, LA SECRETARIA: Such a Simple Title For Such an Enigmatic Film!

[Tony-Kiss-Castillo · 8/10 · 31 October 2021]

Sometimes it helps to sit down to watch a movie with not much in the way of expectations. Certainly, with AMALIA, I would recommend You do precisely that! Both Lead characters are well into middle age and are certainly not much to look at! This is a very modest production, revolving around a secretary and an office maintenance man. Considering it is one of very few Colombian productions available on NETFLIX, I find its inclusion to be a starkly intriguing option!

Very hard to categorize this film! Although I have seen perhaps 30 Colombian productions, AMALIA most certainly is an elusive one as far as attaching any labels! Both the TITLE character (Deliciously brought to life by Marcela Benjumea) and LAZARO, the maintenance guy (Portrayed gracefully by Enrique Carriazo) take up almost 90% of the movie's onscreen time. Yet, the Leads are presented in a most unpretentious and slice-of-life authentic manner that prompts the viewer to crave more!

AMALIA is truly an ONION, if EVER there was one! But...SORRY! I cannot peel away any of those layers! That is a task ONLY YOU, the viewer can undertake! Really, I hope this Review helps You take that decision! You just might be as pleasantly surprised as I was!

8******** ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

jajajaja

[linkogecko · 9/10 · 28 January 2019]

Most comedians will gladly elaborate on the idea that "comedy is more difficult than drama". This concept does tend to ring true specially when considering how universal drama tends to be: loss, betrayal, love, almost all cultures and people react similarly to these feelings. But humor? Wordplay depends not only on language, but on pronunciation and accent. Some cultures tend to like comedy DARK and offensive, while others' ideas of taboos and respect are too strong for that. Timing is tricky as hell. These are just a few of the reasons why it seems crotch-shots and farts are pretty much the only universal forms of humor and "Amalia the Secretary" has neither.

As I watched this film, with Spanish being my first language, I was hoping for one thing above all: that the people in charge of translating it know what they're doing. Having mentioned how humor can sometimes be very culture-specific, I do not think this one leans on too Latin American a style of comedy. It does rely heavily on dialogue, awkwardness and timing though, for which the correct translation is crucial. The type of real-life awkwardness on display in this movie, with its near-painfulness, has its closest relative in Gervais's "Office", while its uplifting narrative does skew more NBC, both of which have managed huge success worldwide thanks to their relatability.

Amalia is, of course, a secretary. She runs a tight office for her boss, Don Bernardo. She is a bit of stickler for order and procedure, but not to the point of alienation as she clearly does care for her boss and family. She lives with her mostly-mute elderly mother and hired a friend to basically be her nurse, while her own grown-up daughter is studying in the U.S. She also has never been able to dance.

A meeting with Lázaro, a new janitor at her company, does not lead to what other movies would exaggeratedly would call "her life being turned upside down", but it does lead to an interesting change of pace. A change of pace with less office work and more Salutations to the Sun and martial dance instructors, taking her from one hilarious bit of awkwardness to the next, all while keeping a good deal of heart. This is not a wacky, wild ride, but it's still a hilarious one, the kind that one can only hope is not to be lost in translation.

Off beat Colombian cmedy.

[Mozjoukine · 23 November 2018]

Things are not going well at the windowless office where dumpy Marcela Benjumea arrives as the shutter is rolled up each morning. Boss Hoyos is worried and the staff excursion has been cancelled in favor of "reflective pauses" which turn out to be yoga work outs conducted by his flashy red head daughter.

However the appearance of hired in maintenance man bald and disorganised Enrique Carriazo brightens the day. They get on a treat. She even starts cutting out card board foot prints so she can take up his invitation to the dance club - to the scorn of her silent mum. However even the bright patches in the secretary's joyless life look like being extinguished. She strikes back.

Well how many films from Colombia do we get to see? This one is predictable. We know mum is going to speak and it's not hard to guess that always scowling Benjumea is finally going to smile. The character become endearing even if the piece goes on too long for a deliberately one note exercise and the pay off is really too slight. Interesting performers.