Only God Knows (2006)

I had the opportunity to see this movie at a personal screening, and I thought it was terrific. I didn't know much about the film going in, but I found myself very quickly drawn into the narrative and the characters. The film was shot very well, and used a lot of interesting perspectives and angles (along with some great natural backdrops).I also felt special seeing this movie before it's released - when it's released you should give it a look. It's surprising and moving.Plus I didn't realize until later where I'd seen the actress before . . . she was the young woman from City of God that the narrator had a crush on! City of God was one of my all-time favorite movies . . .

First of all, this movie is great. It has a two-way meaning, plus the inclusion of a photographic story.The problem here is that public must pay the necessary attention to it AND NOT TALK DURING THE MOVIE!!!! (I watched it on Guadalajara Film Fest 'n there were 3 Televisa soap-opera writers who didn't stop talking during all the movie!!! Obviously they didn't understand the meaning of it!) The beauty of this film is that uses the same wasted theme: a love story; but Bolado gives it another meaning, a reflection meaning, leading the viewer to a land where the exploration of the strange ways of the life are the fact that catches up all the attention.Bolado also gives us a vision of different countries and places which is almost unknown, like the modern Mexico City or the tribes of Brazil, without forgetting the Rumorosa passage.But most important is the fascination that Bolado portrays for different religions, and how they can coexist in the same individual.

Solo Dios Sabe is, at its heart, a journey that explores love, romance, spirituality, and fate. The two main characters, a Brazilian-born art teacher from San Diego and a journalist from Mexico City, travel the same road from Tijuana to Mexico City to Sao Paolo, but their fates and spirituality go in different directions, intersecting for a brief moment in the middle of the film.Alice Braga (as the art teacher) and Diego Luna (as the journalist) are revelations in the way they reveal the complex emotions that result from their journey. The chemistry between them is palpable. It is a joy to watch their journey. The cinematography and music brilliantly set the changing moods and tones of the movie. There are many subtleties throughout the movie that enrich the story, but might be missed on first viewing. The director, Carlos Bolado, is to be commended for delivering such a rich slice of the lives of the two mesmerizing lead characters.

The beginning of the movie is the most interesting part and takes place in Mexico.The ending of this movie is a cliché, a "disease of the month" type of movie. The moment the leading characters get to Brazil, they begin to get bogged down with problems, and the movie gets to be more and more of a downer.The movie shows the outer rituals of the condomble religion, but doesn't explain the belief systems and the philosophy behind this combination of African religions and Catholicism. They should have done more research.It shows scenes of condomble ceremonies, and of an island in Brazil where apparently everyone practices African religions.Watching this movie is like watching 2 different movies. I recommended with reservations, as the ending is too melodramatic, like a Brazilian TV novela.