Friday, July 3, 2009

Dot the I (2003)

How often do you watch a movie trailer and think, "I don't think so," then later watch it and enjoy it? Making a good trailer for difficult-to-classify movies must be be arduous. My memory of the Dot the I trailer was that it looked like a romantic comedy between a bride-to-be and hot, hot Gael García Bernal's character. I imagined the woman realizes she wants to be with this sexy stranger and not marry her intended groom. Not exactly.Turns out this is much more of a thriller with a twist.

Spanish flamenco dancer/burger joint employee Carmen (Natalia Verbeke) is proposed to by her wealthy and dry English boyfriend of five months, Barnaby (James D'Arcy). Carmen agrees but is uncertain due to how soon it is into their courtship. The eve of her 'hen night,' she shares a lusty kiss with a Brazilian stranger, Kit (Gael García Bernal). Kit wants more and pursues Carmen. He finds out where she works and asks her for a date. Confused Carmen is reluctantly interested and agrees. The love triangle begins. Barnaby's suspicions peak and tension intensifies, especially when we learn that Carmen has bolted from Spain to flee from a stalker.

Dot the I provides the viewer with sexual tension, scenes with characters running, meta-film, some violence and a murder-mystery. In the end, it breaks down like two movies. Before and after the twist. I kept watching wanting to know more, even when I wasn't sure I liked where the second part was heading. In the end, the plot is unique and unexpectedly odd. For more Gael García fix, see Levi's Ad.

Writer/Director: Matthew Parkhill

Country: US

Genre: Romantic thriller

Run time: 92 minutes

Scale: 4

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