A fantastic movie, a bit clichéd for today's times but quite breakthrough in 1995. Well acted, well written, funny at times, serious at other times. Altogether well balanced.
Except the end. I mean, seriously ... what happened at the end??? I know that she left for her "reasons" but it is never actually clear what her reasons are. Is she leaving because she's upset at Emilio's death? Is she upset at the 'system' and it's lack of flexibility? Is she bored with helping these kids?? I don't actually know! The ending seems way too sudden, as if the producers ran out of money and had to finish the film by the end of the day. The movie took the perfect amount of time getting itself introduced. The pace was good, until Emilio's death. I don't know ... the ending left me thinking "Well, why is she so special? She hasn't actually DONE anything except bribe these kids with candy bars and roller-coaster rides!" Overall the message is good, and the storyline is fine. The movie is shot nicely and it works well enough for me. It was entertaining. But it left me wondering exactly why she even bothered trying to educate these kids in the first place if she was so willing to just leave them just at a time when they were starting to appreciate her message!
Except the end. I mean, seriously ... what happened at the end??? I know that she left for her "reasons" but it is never actually clear what her reasons are. Is she leaving because she's upset at Emilio's death? Is she upset at the 'system' and it's lack of flexibility? Is she bored with helping these kids?? I don't actually know! The ending seems way too sudden, as if the producers ran out of money and had to finish the film by the end of the day. The movie took the perfect amount of time getting itself introduced. The pace was good, until Emilio's death. I don't know ... the ending left me thinking "Well, why is she so special? She hasn't actually DONE anything except bribe these kids with candy bars and roller-coaster rides!" Overall the message is good, and the storyline is fine. The movie is shot nicely and it works well enough for me. It was entertaining. But it left me wondering exactly why she even bothered trying to educate these kids in the first place if she was so willing to just leave them just at a time when they were starting to appreciate her message!