El Callejon de los Milagros

El Callejon de los Milagros is based on the novel Midaq Alley, by Naghib Mahfouz, the Egyptian Nobel laureate. It might seem strange that a film set in Cairo would be recast in Mexico City, but it makes sense when the film plays out, as this story is as melodramatic as it gets. I mean, the film ends with a man dying in a woman's arms.

Filmed in 1994, it's one of those films that cover the same time period from many perspectives. We start in the bar owned by Rutilio, a grumpy older man who hasn't touched his wife in years. Turns out what he really wants is a young man, and he seduces a store clerk and flaunts the relationship (I found this interesting, considering Mexico is such a Catholic country). His son, enraged, nearly beats the young man to death, and flees to America.

He takes with him his friend, a barber, who is in love with Alma (a very young and luminous Salma Hayek). She is told she must wait for him to make some money in America to marry her, but instead she agrees to marry an old widower. I won't spoil it from there, but Alma makes some bad decisions.

The third story is that of Susanita, the homely landlady, who longs for a man's touch. She ends up married to Guicho, the short-fingered waiter in Rutilio's. Needless to say, this does not go well.

Those are just a few of the many characters set in the neighborhood, such a guy running a beggar's outfit, a crooked dentist, and a poet who likes to quote lines for every occasion.

Directed by Jorge Fons, El Callejon de los Milagros was selected as the second-best Mexican film ever made (only bested by Pan's Labyrinth). I can see why, but to American eyes, this film is only so-so, and it isn't nearly as good as Y Tu Mama Tambien or Amores Perros. The melodrama is so thick that I'm sure it appeals to a culture that has thriving telenovas, but at times characters seem to make decisions based on the needs of the screenplay, and not the characters inner lives. What makes Rutilio decide to obviously seduce a young man? What makes Alma decide to turn to a life of prostitution? It's unclear.

I will say Hayek is very good in the role, and it's a shame that, aside from her role in Frieda, she's never really maximized her star potential. Sure, she's become rich and famous, but mostly in roles that are eye candy.