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Your Iron Lady (2020)
An intimate, emotional, triumphant character study
A selection at the Florida Film Festival, Your Iron Lady tells the story of Teresa (Victoria del Rosal), a single mother navigating her recent move to the United States while raising her children the best way she can.
Writer/Director Jorge Xolalpa Jr. based this film off of an autobiographical short story written by his mother, Teresa Ramirez Galan. The film sets its tone perfectly right at the beginning, opening up with a static wide shot (Xolalpa's decision to film in Academy Ratio also helps establish a more intimate experience). A peaceful interaction involving numerous members of the family suddenly erupts into a vicious dispute.
The action within that scene unfolds naturally, which makes the conflict feel real. This is a credit to the performers who made this work, and also Jorge Xolalpa Jr., who keeps this realism going for the entire film, in a style reminiscent of Robert Altman.
Victoria del Rosal shines as Teresa. She can deliver her lines with real emotion and immediacy, but can also speak a thousand words with a single look.
The narrative of the film centers around a specific portion of Teresa's life, as we see her in a turbulent living situation with her sister, dealing with her estranged husband, and ultimately being forced to find her own way and establish a better life for herself and her children.
Some of Teresa's most emotional scenes are when she interacts with her children. Keeping her daughter Jazmin (played wonderfully by Alondra Lara) while she has her own internal struggle between her own rebellious adolescence and not wanting to disappoint her mother. There's a harsh honesty between the two of them, but at no point is Teresa's love for her daughter in doubt. The scene she has with her son as she walks him to school, after finding out other kids were calling him homophobic slurs is touching. On the surface, we see her reassuring her son after he was bullied, but there's an even more powerful subtext - that she'll love him, no matter what.
Your Iron Lady is an example of a simple slice-of-life story told effectively well, from deliberate and strategic camera work, an intimate aspect ratio, to a strong cast who were able to deliver real, natural performances. The talent on display in this film is phenomenal. It's currently circulating on the Festival circuit, and given changes made this year due to COVID-19, it's an easy film to seek out and watch from home.
Sweet Caroline (2018)
A Suspense-Filled Psychological Thrill Ride
Up-and-coming filmmaker Jorge Xolalpa Jr. drops his audience into a complete mental breakdown in Sweet Caroline, his most ambitious project yet.
Xolalpa's camera placement and lighting set an uneasy tone for the film, made even more tense by Summera Howell's chilling performance. Sweet Caroline seamlessly blends art with entertainment, walking a thin line between Suspense and outright Horror at some points. The audience can truly feel Caroline's downward spiral into madness.
With its jarring, anxiety-inducing cinematography, Jorge Xolalpa Jr.'s masterful direction, and strong performances all around, Sweet Caroline is one to watch out for if you have the chance to see it.
Blue Line Station (2016)
Reminiscent of 90's Indie Filmmaking; A True Artistic Gem
The 90's were a magical time for independent filmmakers. Robert Rodriguez, John Singleton, Quentin Tarantino, and Kevin Smith would all get their careers kick-started by getting into the spirit of picking up a camera and making a movie, budgets-be-damned. It can be argued that these are the very films that helped define filmmaking in the 90's, and let a fresh set of voices in on the filmmaking scene. These days, we don't get much of a taste of true Independent filmmaking. Most "indie" flicks feature A-List actors and have far more respectable budgets than their label would indicate.
However, technology as of late has made filmmaking far less of a financial risk, and such advancements have made possible the aspirations of up-and-coming filmmaker Jorge Xolalpa Jr. Blue Line Station, at face value, tells a simple and straightforward story, but by letting his characters drive the plot forward, we get to watch this young couple - somewhat shaken by the choice in front of them - grow.
The real magic in this film is watching the two protagonists interact. Their dialogue is raw, real, and organic. At no point does any of it seem forced or scenery- chewing. Summera Howell and Leo Ramsey play off each other very well, and this film is worth viewing just for the joy of watching them do so.
Xolalpa also has an eye for cinematography. There are some very gorgeously framed shots, in spite of the fact that it is a black-and-white film. Los Angeles comes to life in every shot. He also proves to be a talented editor, giving his film a smooth narrative flow that neither feels rushed nor dragged out. From a technical standpoint, I feel the sound could have used some work. But otherwise, it was a very well-made film.
Blue Line Station was filmed on a very meager budget, but it does not show. Jorge Xolalpa Jr. shows a great deal of talent and promise as a filmmaker, and I'm glad to have had the pleasure of viewing this film. This is what independent filmmaking used to be all about.