De la sartén al fuego: A chaotic mess or a hidden gem?

Is this for you?

If you enjoy movies that feel like they were made in someone's basement during a heatwave, you'll probably get a kick out of De la sartén al fuego. It’s not polished. It’s not trying to be the next Wings in terms of scale, and that’s fine.

But if you need clear plot points or actors who don't look like they’re trying to remember their lines while staring at a lightbulb off-camera, stay far away. This is for the patient and the weird.

The Rhythm of the Thing

The pacing is just... bizarre. Sometimes a scene ends before you even realize it started, and then you’re stuck in a room with Corazón Montes for five minutes while nothing happens except for some aggressive eyebrow acting. It feels like the editor was working on a dare.

There’s a moment near the middle where José Luis Tortosa is just pacing back and forth, and the camera lingers on his shoes. It’s such a strange choice. Why? I have no idea. But it’s the kind of thing that makes you sit up and actually pay attention, even if it’s just to ask yourself, 'Wait, did I miss something?'

• The lighting in the kitchen scene? Absolutely unhinged.
• The way characters just exit the frame without saying goodbye.
• Rosita Moreno is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

Does it stick?

You can tell the budget wasn't exactly massive. There’s a scene involving a prop that clearly looks like it was made of cardboard and wishful thinking. I actually laughed out loud when it wobbled. It’s not as slick as The Phantom President, that’s for sure.

But there’s a grit to it. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Publicity Madness, just with less focus. You can feel the actors trying to force the comedy, and sometimes it works, but mostly it just feels like they’re all in different movies. It’s not great, but it’s definitely human.

I found myself wondering if they even had a full script on set. Some of these lines feel like they were scribbled on a napkin five minutes before filming. Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it boring? Also no. It’s just... something else entirely. 🤷‍♂️

Ultimately, it’s a weird little footnote of a film. Maybe watch it with a drink in your hand and a low bar set for logic.