Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Andy Garcia, Dafne Keen, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Luna Lauren Velez, Ramon Franco, Aris Mejais, Aurerlio Lima, Jesus Gomez, Maria Coral Otero Soto, Alexon Duprey, Leonardo Castro, Ketty McDougall, Valeria Pomales, Andrea Figarella, Fernelis Reyes, Jonathan Dwayne, Juan Pablo Diaz.
History has for so long been built up from the position of what certain events have meant to people of a certain social standing, any disaster that occurs, there is a story to be told, however far too often the narrative is delivered in a way that the aspirations of script writers, directors and audiences identify with the idea of the more heroic, the more film friendly perspective which does not allow for any type of an underclass to be shown as anything other than shifty, untrustworthy, and taking advantage of the situation for their own good.
The other side of the coin is the glanced over faces amid the destruction, the centre of humanity caught in the tidal wave of whatever has been thrown at them, the shot designed to appeal to the film goer’s heart and gain the sympathy of a crowd who might not even be aware of what the people in a far flung land have been subjected to.
It is therefore a treat to find a film such as Ana, one that isn’t afraid to pull away from the eternal narrative so beloved by many film-makers, and instead show the true extent of a people suffering at the hands of both a collapse in the economy and the nefarious ways in which the church, as well as politicians, take advantage of the fact that people are trying to keep their heads above water, trying to survive by any means possible.
Set against the economic downturn in Puerto Rico in 2017 following the aftermath of Hurricane Maria on the Caribbean island, Ana is a heartfelt but poignant film to which the screenplay, written by Cris Cole, is unafraid to explore the situation from what might have been considered a tale from the darkness, a morality caution that it is to those pushed to the brink that are more in tune with their surroundings and soul than those willing to sell their in exchange for power, for greed.
The combination of Andy Garcia and rising star Dafne Keen is one that catches the eye, the effortless grace that Mr. Garcia brings to the screen, is enhanced by the youthful intensity and vulnerability of Ms. Keen’s character, her need to be seen as in control, but underneath wilting and becoming exposed to the machine of the church which has got their claws into her, using her as a vehicle to pierce the consciousness and the susceptibility of a nation suffering with deprivation.
A film that is as good as its word, which chooses honour over sensationalism, is to be trusted, and Ana supplies that completely, a road trip of discovery to a place where few would recognise the signs pointing the way of truth, wonderfully written, expertly captured on screen; Ana is a cinematic pleasure.
Ian D. Hall