‘Ya Veremos’ could use more edge
The new Mexican import “Ya Veremos” surely gets points for originality, if not good taste. After all, has any other movie used juvenile glaucoma as the stepping-off point for a rom-com?
In “Ya Veremos,” which means “We’ll See” in English — ooh, wordplay! — 11year-old Santi (Emiliano Aramayo) has the disease. His father, Rodrigo (Mauricio Ochmann), an overworked doctor, notices the boy is having vision problems after he begins walking into walls. The movie is too earnest to milk that last bit for a laugh, by the way.
Rodrigo and his ex-wife, Alejandra (Fernanda Castillo), learn that Santi needs to have a delicate operation in less than a month. Even with surgery, he is at risk of losing his eyesight. They schedule the operation and decide to have Santi create a sort-of bucket list, in which he writes down things he wants to do in the two weeks prior to surgery.
Among his wishes: He wants to see a wrestling match, drive a car, dye his hair blue and watch scary movies. He also wants his parents to do everything together with him, including go to Acapulco, where Rodrigo and Alejandra originally got engaged. You see, Santi wants his folks to get back together, and figures this trip could rekindle their romance. The kid may be going blind, but he apparently saw “The Parent Trap” at some point in his life.
Written by Alberto Bremer (“Un Padre No Tan Padre”) and directed by Pitipol Ybarra (“A La Mala”), the film offers very few surprises. Alejandra is given a wealthy fiancé (Erik Hayser), but he never appears to be a serious threat to the rapidly growing affection between the two ex-spouses. A possible reason for that: Despite competent performances all around, you never feel much chemistry between the actors.
Only once does the film go in a surprising direction. Santi also wants to see a naked woman, so his father tricks an oversexed neighbor into showering in his apartment. “Are we the worst parents in the world?” Alejandra wonders. If the filmmakers used a little more of that cheeky, subversive spirit, they could have wound up with something more memorable than this gooey concoction.
‘Ya Veremos’
Great Fair Pitipol Ybarra. Mauricio Ochmann, Fernanda Castillo, Erik Hayser, Emiliano Aramayo.
PG-13 for some language and suggestive content.
In Spanish with subtitles. Bad Good Bomb