322. Too Late To Die Young (Tarde Para Morir Joven); movie review;

TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG (TARDE PARA MORIR JOVEN)
Cert 15
110 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language

While the contemporary world of politics may feel out of kilter, we must still thank our lucky stars that we have never lived in a society where dissenters may be taken away and shot.
Chile only emerged from nearly two decades of dictatorship in 1990 and suddenly its population had the type of freedoms we take for granted.
That is the precise time at which Dominga Sotomayor's semi-autobiographical Too Late To Die Young is set.
She grew up in an 'alternative' ecological community similar to that of this coming-of-age drama.
Her film focuses on a group of youngsters who live on a rural commune in the foothills of the Andes.
They join with their parents to celebrate Christmas an New Year but are burdened by their own desires and tangled relationships.
A key figure is 16-year-old Sofia (Demian Hernández), daughter of a famous singer who she rarely sees. She becomes obsessed with an older rough biker (Matías Oviedo).
This dismays Lucas (Antar Machado) whose love for Sofia is unrequited.
Meanwhile, the movie also looks at life through the eyes of ten-year-old Clara (Magdalena Tótoro) who is caught between childish fun and upset and wanting to be what she perceives a grown-up.
There is no doubt that Sotomayor's film is keenly observed - I cannot imagine anyone watching it without experiencing memory flashbacks to their youth.
Meanwhile, Hernández splendidly evokes what it is like to be a young woman trying to find her way in a dysfunctional family unit.
And it captures the nuances of a family party very cleverly - with focus on parents' alcohol-loosened tongues and the awkwardness of their offspring in trying to be older than they are.
The problem is that not enough happens to sustain 110 minutes and, consequently, points are repeated over and over.
In other words, those who like movies to wash over them might appreciate it while those who need an action fix won't.

Reasons to watch: Convincing coming-of-age drama
Reasons to avoid: Not enough happens

Laughs: None
Jujmps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? The military dictatorship of Chile was an authoritarian military regime that ruled Chile for seventeen years, between September 11, 1973, and March 11, 1990.

Final word. Dominga Sotomayor: "I think the title captures the nostalgia and it captures a lot of what I was trying to do with this film; this feeling of an early loss of delusions. And I like it as a statement, not just for the young characters but also for what I’m feeling now." BFI

Share this post