Irene's exuberance is both lovely and excruciating. Living with a family friend (Karen Black), she hangs on every word of the cronies who knew her father while striking out with men and amassing a library of dating advice books. The story's variously lying, cheating and just-not-getting-it males don't come off well, but Irene too is capable of insensitivity.
Her mother (Victoria Tennant), understandably, wants her to grow up. With her calm clarity, Tennant more than holds the screen, as does Andrea Marcovicci, representing a more fevered brand of womanly self-knowledge. Harriet Schock's literate songs are characters in themselves; the harmonizing voices of Irene's recording sessions provide eloquent counterbalance to the soul-searching dialogue.
Even as the story enters telenovela territory, Frederick makes Irene's neediness matter, and Jaglom orchestrates a stirring crescendo.
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Sheri Linden --
"Irene in Time." MPAA rating: PG-13 for thematic elements and some sexual content. Running time: 1 hour, 34 minutes. In selected theaters.
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On a one-way road to trouble
Although sexy and scenic, the Peruvian road movie "Mancora" lacks the heart and soul required to fully invest in its central trio's free-floating journey of self-discovery. Director Ricardo de Montreuil ("La Mujer de mi Hermano"), working from an often-episodic script by Oscar Torres, also never infuses the film with sufficient energy to propel its potentially loaded emotional and physical conflicts.
When flunking college student Santiago (Jason Day) learns of his estranged father's suicide, he decides to escape wintry Lima for Mancora, a laid-back beach town north of the city. Joining "Santi" on his drive there are his attractive, slightly older, photographer stepsister Ximena (Elsa Pataky) and her rakish, narcissistic husband, Inigo (Enrique Murciano), who've just arrived from New York for a visit. By the time the three reach Mancora, the stage is set for some not-unpredictable sexual tension that, when mixed with heavy-duty doses of partying, may have life-changing consequences. What happens in Mancora doesn't necessarily stay in Mancora.
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Gary Goldstein --
"Mancora." MPAA rating: R for some strong sexual content, drug use, language and violence. Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles. At Laemmle's Sunset 5, West Hollywood and Laemmle's Playhouse 7 in Pasadena.
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