This movie is definitely challenging. Interesting plot tangents are cut off like limbs. Characters appear and disappear. Later in the running time, after what appears to be a dream-awakening scene, the protagonist inexplicably transforms from optimistic Betty to a haunted failed actress named Diane.
“There’s no band”
But it’s the small, self-contained moments that linger the longest in the memory, giving the film a mosaic-like quality. The best part is the famous Club Silencio scene, which really makes the film unforgettable. It’s both a luxurious sensory experience and an introspective exercise that allows you to lift the hood of the film and inspect the moving pieces inside.
In this scene, a surreal nightclub host takes the stage. ”No hey banda!“He screams, ‘The band doesn’t exist’. That means all the sounds the audience hears are pre-recorded. They seem real, but they’re illusions. Nevertheless, the audience is impressed. Roy Orbison’s song was beautiful, heartbreaking and mesmerizing until the singer suddenly collapsed and was dragged away.
