Austin Film Festival Preview: Myna Se Va

In Myna Se Va (Myna Has Gone), the title character is an illegal immigrant who is trying to care for her charge, a young boy who has been seriously injured while his parents are away. Oh, and there's a dog whose leg has been lacerated by a tuna can . . . or so Myna tells the vet before she steals tranquilizers to then use on the boy.

Jerky camera shots and quick edits seem to be favored over long shots (except for an extremely long sequence-shot used for a violent sex scene) in this Spanish film. Maybe the directors chose an "artistic" feel over a clear plot? Thirty minutes into the film, we still couldn't figure out what exactly was going on.

Perhaps this film will appeal to some, but given the strange lighting and not-so-great subtitle job (among other things), you may want to look into alternatives in the AFF schedule.

Myna Se Va appears as part of the Narrative Feature Competition at the Austin Film Festival. The full AFF schedule can be seen here.