The plot is slimmer than a bowed string and lacks tension.
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01/04/08
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The Violin (2007)
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Reviews Counted:33
Fresh:31
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: Vargas makes a strong debut with The Violin, which features crisp photography, a poetic screenplay, and a breakthrough performance by Tavira.
Theatrical Release:Dec 5, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: Don Plutarco, his son Genaro and his grandson Lucio live a double life: on one hand they are musicians and humble farmers, on the other they support the campesina peasant guerilla movement's armed... [More]
Starring: Don Angel Tavira, Gerardo Taracena, Mario Garibaldi
Director: Francisco Vargas
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Reviews for The Violin
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04/03/08
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10/18/08
Scores heavily as a mood-driven character exploration of the nature of familial love, duty, conflict and its impact on the innocent.
12/10/07
A challenging yet rewarding watch.
01/04/08
A terrific debut by Vargas, who wrote, directed and produced.
01/04/08
The Violin is so beautiful to look at, it almost wouldn't matter if it had a story. But it has one, and it's riveting.
02/22/08
A slightly meandering build-up is saved by a second half that really cooks, with Vargas ratcheting up the tension by flirting with genre convention in order to deal with Plutarco’s unconventional psychological stand-off with a malodorous Captain.
01/04/08
The austere monochrome photography gives the story a gravitas that’s reinforced by the dignity of the amateur cast.
01/04/08
An impressive debut for Mexican writer and director Francisco Vargas.
04/30/08
The weathered Tavina, who lost his hand in an accident at the age of 13, makes a fittingly indomitable hero. He's a character you're likely to remember - his face alone is worth a thousand words.
01/04/08
by turns shocking, observant, picturesque, and thought-provoking, the film is a moving expression of the tumultuous existence of countless Mexican lives.
09/26/07
Shot in a silvery black and white that lends a photojournalistic effect, this is not an easy film to sit through. But it will be a tough one to forget if you do.
12/07/07
Un retrato crudo y humano %u2013filmado en riguroso blanco y negro- sobre pequeños y grandes actos de rebeldía frente a las injusticias.
06/10/07
As far as battlefield-as-life parables go, humanity gets a fairer shake in Francisco Vargas's The Violin than in Bruno Dumont's Flanders.
12/03/07
Of course, there's Tavira, who, even if he never appears in another film, has left an indelible mark on cinema with his work here.
01/04/08
A movie of undeniable gravitas and monumentality -- even if it is too fond of its own effects.
12/04/07
Top CriticA quietly gripping adversarial duel lies at the heart of this political thriller, which has been hailed as a masterpiece in Vargas's native Mexico.
01/04/08
Francisco Vargas makes a marvellous debut with his magnificent The Violin.
01/17/08
Life-or-death matters are handled with compelling gravity.
02/08/08
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