Directed by
Ruy Guerra
Also Known As:
Unglaubliche und traurige Geschichte von der unschuldigen Erendira und ihrer herzlosen Großmutter, Die (West Germany)
Runtime: France:103 min / Sweden:105 min
Country: France / Mexico / West Germany
Language: Portuguese / Spanish
Color: Color
imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085501/
While Erendira, a beautiful teenage girl, has a surreal mystical vision, her grandmother's house catches on fire and burns to the ground. Her grandmother holds Erendira responsible and, in order to extract restitution from the girl, forces her into prostitution. Erendira's surreal mystical experiences continue while her grandmother grows rich from exploiting her.
Magically real and incredibly well done.
Eréndira is a dark fairy tale covered in the blanket of magic realism that has become Gabriel García Márquez's trademark. Director Ruy Guerra has devoted a lot of attention to upholding the surrealistic undertones of the novel. The story itself unfolds like a bizarre daydream that follows a 14 year old Eréndira as she is plagued by the "wind of her misfortune." It is the wind that causes Eréndira to burn down her grandmother's lavish villa. Upon seeing the ruin and ashes the Grandmother informs Eréndira that "it would take a lifetime to back the debt you owe me." And so begins the young girl's life of prostitution. In order to earn back her money, the Grandmother sells Eréndira to countless men, day and night. It is only when Eréndira meets angelic Ulysses that her tortured life seemingly begins to change. Perhaps the most brilliant aspect of this movie is the role of the Grandmother, played by Irene Papas. She is carried around on a throne-like chair, wears grotesquely gaudy dresses and devours cake by the handful; all while dispensing cryptic advice to Eréndira. The power that the Grandmother has over the life of Eréndira is shocking yet morbidly interesting, as is she. This strong presence is the reason that her character commands the most attention in the film. Her greed and apparent indestructibleness is quite possibly representative of the many corrupt and powerful organizations and politicians that are present in Latin America and throughout the world.
Eréndira is a compelling movie to say the least. It is funny yet eerie, intriguing yet grotesque, and I thought it was amazing. Everything from the sound effects to the costumes work together to create the web of magic realism that dominates the film. If you like slightly dark stories of Latin American culture with a magical twist, Eréndira should be your first choice.
Ruy Guerra - Erendira - Mex'83 - Irene Papas - 103 min - NTSC-Rip.avi 
