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Too Late to Die Young | Dominga Sotomayor Castillo | NYFF 2018

Chilean director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo’s new film Too Late to Die Young captures the spirit of an off-the-grid style community in Chile, that feels like an everlasting memory from the mind of the director who captures all the personal happenings in a fashion that often feels so realistic it often feels like it could be a documentary.

We follow the personalities and lives of the people of this commune as they prepare for the big New Years celebration. There’s the teenagers and will-they-or-won’t-they lovers Sofía (Demian Hernández) and Lucas (Antar Machado), an older man, Ignacio (Matías Oviedo) who captures the attention of Sofía and the much younger Clara (Magdalena Tótoro).

The plot doesn’t drive the story as much as an observation about the daily life, rituals, and personification of these characters, with Castillo’s camera settling on Sofía as its main focus. It was a tough time for Chile as the country moved from dictatorship to democracy and the passion and fever of the experience are felt throughout the DNA of the film.

These actors bring these characters to life with a passion and excitement, but the same can’t always be said for the story, which feels a bit too free-spirited for its own good. It’s meant to mirror the freedom and uneasiness that this new uncertainty brought to these people who set themselves free long ago. But it terms of keeping the narrative going, as beautifully shot and wondrous as the film feels, it fails to keep your attention long enough to make it all worthwhile.

Despite its shortcomings, it’s impossible not to laud at the revelatory performance from first-timer Demian Hernández. She’s a completely magnetic presence every time she’s on-screen and radiates with genuine warmth and energy that the rest of the film doesn’t seem to quite know how to match.

Rating: 6.0/10


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