Lake Tahoe

A low budget black comedy from the same Mexican director as Duck Season could be quirky enough to ensnare devotees of indie cinema. The story telling revolves around tableaux that always fade to black, a cue taken from the opening car crash. Audiences should find the mix satisfying. Niche prospects loom.

In the early morning, 16 year old Juan (Diego Cataño) inexplicably crashes the family car into a telegraph pole. He sets off in search of spare parts and help but in this sleepy, desolate Yucatan town his options are limited.

His encounters with the few people he does manage to find are gently funny, and only after considerable time has passed do we learn that Juan's father has recently died. His grief stricken mother is unable to cope at all well, and his younger brother has been left to fend for himself.

Lake Tahoe, which unfurls over 24 hours, has distinct echoes of the work of the Kaurismäki brothers, as well as Jim Jarmusch, but such comparisons should not obscure the fact that Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke is very much his own man. He makes highly effective use of static shots and possesses a keen visual sense for composition, all of which makes the film distinctive in a low-key way, while its pacing allows the story to emerge in a natural and un-labored fashion. The film and script were nurtured at the Sundance Institute.

In the style of Eimbcke's debut film, Duck Season, the incidental characters have enjoyably comic touches—one is a puny Bruce Lee obsessive, another a would-be punk singer.

Despite its humble origins and budget the film never strives too hard for effect and necessity is definitely the mother of invention here. The title, by the way, comes from an irrelevant tourist sticker from the famed resort town on the family car.

Distributor: Film Movement
Cast: Diego Cataño, Hector Herrera, Daniela Valentine, Juan Carlos Lara II and Yemil Sefami
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Screenwriters: Fernando Eimbcke and Paula Markovitch
Producer: Christian Valdelievre
Genre: Black comedy
Rating: Unrated
Running time: 85 min
Release date: July 10 NY