DVD Review - Ants in the Mouth

This is an interesting Spanish film noir that takes place in the late 1950s. Martin (Eduard Fernandez) is released from prison after ten years. He searches Franco era Barcelona for his ex lover Julia (Ariadna Gil) but fails to find her or the money from a bank robbery gone wrong. He remembers that her uncle Alberto (Jose Luis Gomez) lives in Havana and goes there to track her down. He is dismayed to find out that she has died. But things are not what they seem and in his determination to find out what really happened he comes across many unsavory characters including a very dangerous government official named Freddy (Jorge Perugorria).

The film really captures the sights and sounds of late 50s Havana. The country is right on the brink of revolution and you can feel it in the air. For the most part the film is suspenseful but there were one or two instances where it was quite obvious what was going to happen. Also, there was one incident in the film that I felt was not fully explained.

That said, this is a smart and entertaining piece of Spanish cinema that is also beautiful to look at (thanks to cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe). Director Mariano Barroso does a good job of directing the film (he previously directed two very good Javier Bardem films - Ecstasy and Washington Wolves - which, unfortunately, are only available as Region 2 DVDs) which is based on a book by Miguel Barroso (perhaps they are related). If you are a fan of world cinema you should definitely check out this film.