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Dot The I [2003]


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This beautiful film sort of frightens me a bit with its dramatics'
Review date: 2007-07-03 Rating: 8 out of 10

Having seen most of Bernal's films, I've grown to like him greatly as an actor, thus explaining my motivation for picking this up. I think this is the first English speaking film Gael has done and that I've seen. On the first scene when he open his mouth I was taking aback because I wasn't use to him speaking English with an English accent to top it all off. I won't lie it took some getting use too; to me he sounded okay but it wasn't the best.

In this film his character is up for causing some mischief in this romantic thriller. Kit (Gael Bernal) plays a Brazilian immigrant living in London. He works odd jobs until he is provided a most fortunate opportunity. Carmen (Verbeke) moves to London to escape a troublesome past in Spain. Carmen falls in love with Barnaby (D'Arcy), a local Londoner, who eventually proposes marriage. The three end up crossing paths throughout the plot.

Personally, I find the romantic drama as a genre in dire need of a wake-up call. Films such as this one, `Closer,' `Unfaithful', `Wicker Park,' and very few others, are daring to attempt something original, whether it be a more frank look at relationships, a less clichéd or sexist view of infidelity, or a new take on the love triangle... and by new I mean new in both this film and `Wicker Park.' Rather than recycle `Shakespeare,' `Jane Austen,' or `An Affair To Remember' for the thousandth time, the director and cast has broke some new ground on this.

The efforts on direction is good, well, that style of combining the footage in film and the one extracted from a camcorder, wasn't really good, you will learn near the end of the film that is justified but again, didn't feel neat when you see it. The budget for this film is low; you can easily guess that, especially in that Indie Film Festival scene when you realize that you are seeing another indie movie that couldn't make thinks work with its own money, because seriously, that festival looked fake. What I do love is the story, the twists and the characters.

`Dot the I' is a good film that I'd recommend viewing especially to all the Gael Bernal fans.


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Reviews


where did that come from?
Review date: 2006-11-22 Rating: 10 out of 10

Wow, I did not see that ending coming. What a fascinating movie which twists along the way. This movie simply draws you further and further in. Victims become aggressors and then victims again.

This is a must see movie. The tension slowly mounts as apparent chance meetings become part of living movie. One is left to ponder on what is truth and reality as each character becomes yet another vulnerable participant in the playing out of a callous film-maker's apparent fantasy. No character escapes a twist in their tale.

The viewer's emotions and sympathies are constantly toyed with until utter disbelief takes over.

The three main actors, Gael Garcia Bernal, James D'Arcy and Natalia Verbeke play their roles with total commitment and belief, each with a different motivation for becoming involved in the reality movie. The scariest aspect is simply that as the general public are increasingly drawn into reality tv shows and their like, this movie opens the question could this happen for real?

Watchable but could have been better
Review date: 2006-03-24 Rating: 6 out of 10

Given the mixed reviews from other Amazon viewers, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but 'Dot the I' is definitely watchable even if it doesn't quite carry off the ambitious plot twists attempted as well as it could have. The twists do keep you guessing & the ending if unexpected, but the constant hints about Carmen's violent ex-lover fail to materialise into anything sinister as you expect they might. Verbeke & Bernal are excellent as ever, even though the character of Carmen is somewhat of a stereotype (the firey Latin woman) & Bernal is maybe under-used. Some slightly false-sounding dialogue, maybe added to by the unnaturalness of hearing two native Spanish speakers talk to each other in English. Quite enjoyable but not life-changing.

Disappointing
Review date: 2006-03-13 Rating: 4 out of 10

A high concept movie full of plot twists and genre confusion. Nothing wrong with the concept. However, the execution (right from the script through to casting and directing) is very weak. It starts out as a romantic comedy, then goes for drama and finally settles for suspense/horror. The idea is to trick and surprise the audience. Unfortunately the only effect is to make the viewer switch off and not really care about the characters. Gael García Bernal is horribly miscast. The 2 stars are for the concept only.

boredtodeath
Review date: 2006-03-05 Rating: 2 out of 10

I cannot recommend this film and totally disagree with the previous reviewers - sorry! To sum up, an unbelievable premise, totally unsympathetic characters I could not give a damn about, and far too many twists for it's own good. Life is too short to sit through this guys.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Natalia Verbeke
Charlie Cox
Gael Garcia Bernal
James D'Arcy
Tom Hardy

Creators:
Gael Garcia Bernal (Primary Contributor)
Natalia Verbeke (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Momentum Pictures
Manufacturer: Momentum Pictures
EAN: 5060049147086
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2005-06-13
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 88 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2003
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Original Language)

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