Directed by Rodrigo Plá
Country: Mexico
The title “A Monster with a Thousand Heads” can be deceitful in the way it might suggest one of those horror films based on fantasy instead of real life.
Actually, the well-written screenplay by Laura Santullo moves on the realistic side, focusing on an exasperating social problem that not only affects Mexico, the origin of this drama, but lots of other countries, including the capitalist USA.
We’re talking about the human health and associated insurance companies that profit with what should be free for everybody.
The dramatic thriller depicts the affliction of a mother of two, Sonia Bonet (Jan Raluy), who desperately tries everything to save her husband, Memo (Daniel Cubillo), from a malignant tumor that advances slowly but lethally.
Despite the good news that he doesn’t have metastasis, the case is neglected, lacking the medical supervision and attention it deserves. For sixteen consecutive years, the couple has paid the insurer’s premium, yet the organization refuses to approve the treatment that can make him live.
Unresponsive doctors, an infuriating incompetence from the insurance company, infinite waiting, shameful lies, and immeasurable bureaucracy associated with a simple case, are all factors that drive Sonia to act drastically, having the support of her teenage son, Dario (Sebastián Aguirre), who follows her everywhere.
Holding a gun in her hand and dragging the insurer’s CEO as a hostage, Sonia starts to collect all the signatures needed to get the treatment approved. Fighting the abusive Mexican system with the use of force makes her exposed to many dangers. Is it worth a try?
Despite the pertinence of the topic, the direction of the Uruguayan-Mexican Rodrigo Plá didn’t impress me as much as it happened with “The Delay”, a gripping drama dated from 2012.
Moreover, and regardless the good performances, a few scenes seemed a bit contrived to me, especially those involving situations of tribulation and panic.
This is an example of a good idea hampered by a flawed execution.
