Nora's Will: movie review
In Mariana Chenillo鈥檚 鈥淣ora鈥檚 Will,鈥� the marvelous Mexican actor Fernando Luj谩n plays the bearded, bellicose Jos茅, who has been divorced from his wife, Nora, for many years although he continues to live nearby. When she finally succeeds in killing herself, after numerous attempts over the years, he finds himself in charge of carrying out her funeral arrangements.
I should state upfront that this is a comedy, and a pretty good one, too.
As an Orthodox Jew, and with Passover fast approaching, Nora鈥檚 wishes are required to be carried out according to Jewish custom. The ornery Jos茅, an atheist, bridles at the ritual. In an apartment filled with Orthodox worshipers, he orders a pizza 鈥渨ith ham, bacon, and sausage.鈥� He buys a crucifix-shaped coffin and, perhaps worst of all, gets rid of Nora鈥檚 cat.
Chenillo doesn鈥檛 have a galvanic visual style but her film is filled with small, observant moments when the humanity of these people peeps through the low-key shenanigans. It鈥檚 a bittersweet farce. Grade: B (Unrated.)
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