Review of The Perfect Stranger (2011) by Jesse O — 11 Jan 2014

I quite liked this movie. It's certainly quieter and more relaxing than most films of this ilk, but that doesn't make it any less good. The film doesn't focus on the cultural differences between Marco and the people of the village he's visiting.

The thing it does focus on is the fact that Marco, who's named this way because Biel misunderstands his name, cannot understand spanish and yet he still connects with some of the people in the village and becomes close with two of them, who really needed him at that particular point in their lives.

I thought that was good and it was well-done, in some cases you can connect with a person even if you don't speak the same language. I also found Marco's reasons for returning to the village to be quite intriguing and, when it's revealed at the end, ultimately bittersweet.

I did find that the third act to be a little too dramatic for my tastes, and it did away with the low-key tone the film had mantained until that point. I thought it was still good, but I liked the other 2 acts of the film much more.

This is still a good movie however, it's thoughtful and smart with some very sweet moments. It's got a great cast too, so that doesn't hurt either.