Carrie Villeneuve

If Precious wrenches the heart, Backyard wrenches the soul. Three characters separately illustrate the machinations of Ciudad Juàrez---the governor who deals with the international corporations who have their factories in Juàrez; a female detective sent to assist the local police force with their investigation of the accumulating bodies of young women found in vacant areas of the city; and Hilda, fresh off the bus from one of the poorer provinces, who takes the grandeur of city life head on---and each character is shadowed by inevitable loss and destruction, creating a devastating result when their three stories finally intersect. Despite running at two hours, this movie never feels too long---partly because in prolonging the movie, we save them---and Ana de la Reguera as Detective Blanca is magnificent.

Although additional screenings and repeats have been announced, Friday is the last official day of the festival. I'm still aiming to cross off my list At Home By Myself...With You and Queen to Play. Shannon is planning to see Extraordinary Stories--or rather, is planning to invest in, as this one has a 4-hours-and-11-minutes running time, a valiant VIFF experiment to end on.