Diego Luna’s “Abel”

Guaranteed to be something you’ve never seen before, “Abel,” helmed by Mexican actor Diego Luna making his feature-directing debut, is the tale of a psychologically troubled nine-year-old boy who imagines he is the head of his fractured family. It’s a bittersweet, if slight, story, buoyed by a winning and heartfelt performance by non-pro Christopher Ruiz-Esparza in the title role. Fans of Luna and the New Mexican cinema will want to check it out and it’s a natural for worldwide festivals but might be a tough sell for theatrical outlets.

Luna, aided by cinematographer Patrick Murguia’s beautiful and subtle use of color, has created a totally lived in environment dominated by the frazzled matriarch Cecilia (Karina Gidi) since her husband Anselmo (Jose Maria Yazpik) left two years ago. We never know if this is the beginning of Abel’s problems but as the film opens his mother is taking him home from a mental institution where he’s been for the last two years.

[link: Diego Luna on producers]

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