YA NO ESTOY AQUI (I'M NO LONGER HERE) (2020)

YA NO ESTOY AQUI (I'M NO LONGER HERE) is based on the short story of the same name, which contained local slang. It makes sense to have dialogue like that, but the narration too? Keep in mind: It's not the kind of slang that any person says in informal situations, which Spanish speakers from other countries can know; it's the one spoken mainly by adult criminals and teen thugs who pretend to be criminals. If you aren't Mexican, you'll most likely don't understand it. Was it a stylistic choice to help immerse the reader into this world? Was it a technique to make the reader make an extra effort and figure out what each expression means based on the context? Regardless, it's annoying. Maybe a more interesting plot could've made it easier to flip the pages. Now, is this a good film adaptation? Yes and no. It translates into a visual medium better than a written medium. Without someone describing things, the only slang comes from the characters. And when we get to see the romantic subplot with our own eyes, it doesn't come off as rushed or melodramatic anymore. The fact that Ulises Sampiero (the protagonist) doesn't even make the minimum effort to break the language barrier is a nice touch, because it feels realistic, based on what Ulises has lived through. However, those 10 pages were stretched by adding a lot of pointless scenes. Not even Damián García's cinematography can compensate for the bad pacing. No one in the main cast stands out (positively or negatively), but some of minor roles are so badly acted that it distracts.

4/10
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