Tear This Heart Out (2008)

So much average

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

I love the drive in this movie. It sweeps from country to city with wonderful undertones and great panoramic scenes. The actors did a great job and the directing was superb. The story is told in a hurry up and wait fashion that I usually see in Italian films. The ruthlessness of the general is played down with the tender way he treats his wife and family. It leaves you confused and unsure who to root for. I also love when actors can pull of playing very young to mature and have you believing it. Entitlement is a universal theme where the very rich takes advantage of the poor. I loved the lead actress how she played the part and the story kept going as if it would never end and you wanted to keep watching. It kind of makes one wish there was a sequel to this historic fiction based upon real characters.

"Arráncame la Vida" is a story from the perspective of Catalina Guzmán. At 16 she marries Andrés Ascencio and at 30 becomes his widow. He is a political machine always looking to rise within the ranks of politics the way he did in the military ranks during the Mexican Revolution. There were several omissions in the movie. Honestly, I believe that this is why the movie fell flat in a lot of ways, at least for me. I never thought I would be one of those people who says it wasn't as good as the book but it really was not as good as the book.In the book, you begin to like Andrés for various reasons as you continue reading because, even though he had moments of misogyny and murder, he was teaching her how life works and how people can be. He was teaching her to defend herself and survive all the Bull that people shovel your way especially when they see you alone and "vulnerable". After a while you really don't find Catalina all that charming. For a grown woman, she behaved very immaturely. It seemed as though throwing temper tantrums were her forté. When he does die, he does point out that he hurt her and he does it in a very direct way. They made light of that in the movie but it wasn't a light moment in the book. He also does not tell her he left her everything until he calls in the attorneys and changes his will in front of her. He says he leaves her everything of his own accord in front of witnesses, so that no one can contest the will. She is peeved because now she has to determine how things get distributed. The thing with the tea was open ended in the book because you don't know if she killed him or if he became addicted to the tea. According to the book, if you drank it in large amounts it could kill you. He was drinking it every day in large amounts in the book. She lets him know before he drinks the last of the tea that it would be best if he not have anymore but he insists. Reverse psychology? maybe.The other thing that they left out was the lesbian scene that Catalina has with Andrea Palma.Then the funeral. It was in the home during the wake that Rodolfo comes at her with offering to help her with the will. She tells him to stay out of it because she has it under control and does not need his help. He does not respond because he doesn't know how. He goes over to the casket and pretends to look heartbroken but the boredom sets in. Then there was also Rodolfo's desire for Catalina. She remembers when his fat ass chased her in a red dress Andrés had bought her in NY and she threatens Rodolfo with telling Andrés about his behavior. Rodolfo was interested in exploiting Andres's death to get into Catalina's pants and gain access to the fortune Andrés had amassed. He didn't think she was very smart or that she was a quality woman the way they inferred in the movie. The movie did not show Doña Herminia either. It also did not fully explain the story concerning his first wife. The movie did also not talk about Virginia. There was more to it than was inferred in the movie. The other thing was that he was going to be buried in Zacatlán. In the book it was raining which is significant. If you are going to watch this movie read the book afterward. I think you will enjoy the book more than the movie.

I read Angeles Mastreta's book when it first came out and I just loved it. She's written some more afterwards, but I never really liked them as I enjoyed "Arrancame la vida". When I knew that a movie about this story was going to be done I read the book again, and to be honest I went to see the movie with the intention of reinforce that "stories are always better read in books, than depicted in movies". Well I was wrong. To my agreeable surprise I enjoyed every minute of it, just as much as I did reading the book for the first time. You easily digest a witty yet sarcastic story, picturing a post revolutionary country society that grabs you from the very first second. All the charactersare very well pictured and the scenery is just perfect. Thank you for this kind of Mexican cinema: enjoyable, brilliant and proudly capable of the quality to be appreciated by any kind of audience of the world.

(Stupid IMDb. It doesn't get that I'm trying to type this comment in Spanish. OK. Here we go again in English)First, two strong statements: I have not read the book and I'm from Puebla (the city where the story takes place).I don't know how good of an adaptation this movie is, but as a cinematic product, "Arráncame la vida" works just fine. The leading actors, as well as the rest of the cast, offer solid performances. Giménez Cacho, as always, portrays Andrés Ascencio very nicely. He depicts a son of-a-bitch general, who -despite this characteristics or because of these- is highly enjoyable. The macho humor that this character uses, gives movement to the story. On top of that, we have Ana Claudia Talancón, the astonishing Catalina Guzmán. I'm not the biggest fan of her but I have to say her performance is flawless.The references to the "poblano factor" (poblanez) gives a proper setting to the actions of the story, which mentions a lot of local moments and characters of the 30's and 40's. However, the universal value of the movie (and the novel, I guess) remains. Caciques, corruption and battles over power exist everywhere, not only in México but all over the world.About directing and production, again, flawless. With a nearly 7 million dollar budget, "Arráncame la vida" is the most expensive movie in México to this date. However it has the quality of any Hollywood picture that surely would need way more than that to achiev the same results. The cinematography and the powerful music give the final touches to a production which, I'm sure, the audience from Puebla enjoyed and related to their own experiences and long time memories. Some nervous laughs could be heard in a packed premier at Puebla with members of the finest families of the region. You go guess what they thought of this portrait...Despite of that, people would be satisfied with the story from what I could see and hear.Summing up: I strongly recommend this picture. It is not the "biggest Mexican picture" but, no doubt, is a solid project with high production values. I've never read any of Mastretta's books but now I want to start.