El corazón de Jesús

06.08.2004

Saturday, I went to the movies w/ Jay. We saw El corazón de Jesús, the new film by Bolivian filmmaker Marcos Loayza. It's a pretty funny, yet profound, movie about a small bureaucrat named Jesús Martinez & his struggle to find a way to pay for his heart attack internment by cheating his insurance company.

Insurance refuses to pay for his heart attack hospitalization — since the unconscious, dying Jesús was unable to call the insurance company first or ensure using a hospital in their coverage plan. So. Jesús develops a scheme to escape his crushing hospital debt. He'll pretend to be dying, call his insurance first, and intern himself in a hospital's cancer ward.

In the end, the film's an interesting critique on the state of medical care in Bolivia. And though it does make you pause & think, it's not filled w/ over-the-top sentimentality (like Sanjines' Los hijos del último jardín). Actually a rather fun film to watch.

Posted by Miguel at 03:19 PM