Una mujer en venta: A dusty melodrama

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you're a completist for this era of cinema. Una mujer en venta is stiff, a bit creaky, and feels like it’s holding its breath the entire time. If you like seeing Lorenzo Barcelata work his charm, you might get a kick out of it. If you’re looking for something with a bit of snap or modern sensibility, you’ll be checking your watch by the half-hour mark.

The whole thing has this weird, heavy atmosphere. It feels like every actor is constantly worried about being too loud or too quiet. It’s a bit like watching a play where the actors are afraid to walk across the stage. 🙄

The vibe check

There’s a specific scene where someone is just standing near a doorway, and the way the shadows hit the wall makes it look way more dramatic than the actual dialogue warrants. It’s a weirdly specific detail, but it stuck with me. The lighting guy clearly put in more work than the script supervisor.

It reminded me a little bit of the pacing issues in La voie sans disque. Everything moves at a glacial pace, but without the benefit of a really solid hook to keep you tethered to the chairs. You find yourself wondering if the characters are ever going to stop moping and just do something.

Small things that caught my eye

• The outfits are impeccable, even if the plot is paper-thin.
• Josefina Escobedo has this way of looking at the camera that feels like she's judging my entire life choices.
• The background extras in the street scenes look like they’re waiting for a bus rather than existing in a movie.
• Some of the dialogue sounds like it was written on a napkin during lunch.

It’s funny, I was reminded of The Climbers while watching the social climbing aspects here. It’s the same old story about who belongs where and who is trying to break in. But somehow, Una mujer en venta feels trapped in its own little bubble. It doesn't quite reach the heights it wants to, but it also doesn't completely crash.

It’s just... there. It’s a movie that exists. You watch it, you nod, you forget the plot about twenty minutes later. But sometimes that’s fine, right? Sometimes you just want to look at old film grain and listen to dramatic music while someone looks sad near a window. 🎞️