Life According To Muriel

Abandoned by her husband and fleeing a string of unsuccessful relationships, Laura (Soledad Villamil) whisks her young daughter Muriel (Florencia Camiletti) away from the hectic urban life of Buenos Aires in search of a simpler one in the placid Argentinean countryside. An unfortunate twist of fate (and a very funny one at that) strands the two in the dilapidated, lakeside hotel of a similarly abandoned Mirta (Inés Estévez), a bitter young woman with two children of her own. Though constantly at odds at first, the two women are brought together by their similar history and situations, and eventually a deep friendship is born, one which helps the two women weather oncoming adversities. An extraordinarily lyrical tale, beautifully crafted and flawlessly acted, this is an enormously compelling slice-of-hard-lifer. Though billed as a story "seen through the eyes of a child," the true stars here are Villamil and Estévez (playing Laura and Mirta), both of whom register a lifetime of pain and disappointment in just their quiet stares. The only downside here is the annoyingly inconsistent quality of the print, which has several severely scratched patches. Nevertheless, this little Spanish gem should not be missed. Highly recommended. (S. C. Sickles)