7:35 IN THE MORNING (2004)

7:35 IN THE MORNING
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo
Starring Nacho Vigalondo and Marta Belenguer

It's 7:35 in the morning and Mujer (Marta Belenguer) goes into a restaurant and gets a coffee and a pastry, like she does every morning. Today, she notices that something is different. There are two men standing there with a guitar and a small keyboard. She asks about them, but does not get an answer. Soon she realizes that no one is talking. She sees a pile of cell phones lying in the corner and realizes that she has walked into the middle of a robbery. She calls the police, but drops the phone when Tipo (Nacho Vigalondo) stands up and begins singing to her. A love song that he's written himself about the beautiful girl that comes into the restaurant at 7:35 every morning that he's never had the courage to talk to. Then everyone starts singing along, contributing lines in an expanding dialogue of song. There is even a dance. It's not until one man flubs a line that we realize that Tipo is wearing dynamite and has taken the restaurant hostage and is making them sing along with him to Mujer.

What crazy things we do for love, right? Tipo's actions are, of course, taking that saying to extremes. But it's often in the extremes that we find the lesser truths about ourselves made clear. I once pretended that I was half Mexican to make a man like me. It's one of my least proud moments, but to deny that it happened would be to deny part of myself. By examining what made me say that, I'm able to look at my own life and hopefully make changes that will make sure I never have to lie like that again.

What must have happened in poor Tipo's life to make him think that the only way he can meet a woman is by taking a restaurant hostage? The entire song is his internal monologue of reasons why he can't simply walk up to her and talk to her. He's a poor, sick man. And he needs to be loved desperately. He's tried everything he can think of. Things he's seen on TV or in movies haven't worked. Things he's read in books haven't worked. Nothing has given him the love he craves. Tipo is a man of last resorts. This is what his life has come to.

Nacho Vigalondo wrote, directed and starred in “7:35 in the Morning”. The fact that I'm able to write two paragraphs of back story for a character in an eight minute film is a testament to his skill. He is still directing and has recently made his first full-length film. Hopefully the skill that he exhibits in the short genre can translate to feature-length.

“7:35 in the Morning” was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film. It lost to the film “Wasp”. The other nominated films were “Everything in This Country Must”, “Little Terrorist”, and “Two Cars, One Night”.

This review was written on July 7, 2008