CFF60 review - YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ME by Katina Medina Mora

YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ME by KATINA MEDINA MORE is an anomaly in the all to often conventionalized romantic drama genre, by simply being genuine and avoiding implausibilities. The film had its World Premiere at the 60th CORK FILM FESTIVAL.

If on the surface YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ME seems unoriginal, it is mostly because of the dominance of poor and half hearted romantic dramas in mainstream cinema that have led to a conventionalization of the genre. Every now and again, however, one can come across a film such as the latest feature by KATINA MEDINA MORA that is defined and enriched by great sensibility and maturity. 

This is the story of a man and a woman who meet, fall in love, and their love helps them overcome their individual weaknesses, demons and personal dramas both on a physical and mental level. It is full of tenderness, but also very powerful in its portrayal of its darker motives and undertones. 

Using a fresh approach, the film is defined by a structure in which the blooming romance is viewed from the perspective of both its leading characters. But rather than doing so in chronological order, first we see it from the perspective of Nicolas, the man, and then the perspective of the woman, Isabel. The third part then follows them together - no longer two individuals. 

This clever ploy is actually priceless, as not only is it handled with great intelligence and really shows the greatness of the thought processing that was the fruit of the eight year journey that finally resulted in YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ME, but it also gives way to some mystery in its use and examination of a certain element of fragile fatality and chance that can eventually materialize in the greatest of love stories. But all this is far from being brought to the screen in a manupulative way, a fact clearly shown by a lack of reliance in a music score.

Nevertheless, there is some type of manipulation in the cinematography itself, and its clever use of tracking shots, handheld and steadycams to define a difference in the visual languages of all the episodes in this tryptich, but these choices are never blatant, and hardly noticeable, as it is far too hard to be distracted by the fascinating screenplay itself. 

Because the subtle beauty also lies in the screenplay, not just in the film's visuals, as the character development clearly shows. Here, not only do the characters become more and more interesting, surprising the viewer expecting the usual underwhelming archetypes, but they become more and more interesting and three dimensional as the story unfolds on the big screen. The delight in this very fact is enough to remind us that the romantic drama, when done well, can show that romance in itself can be original as a concept because of the very difference that lies in each individual romance in real life. 

On top of that, MORA does not do herself any favours in the eyes of simplicity by having her male character an epileptic, a well-researched portrayal at that, but also by showing a true, modern and honest portrayal of a woman that does things that cinema still shies away from when dealing with femininity, such as the taboo concept of a woman using casual sex to release her personal frustrations. 

Such portrayals are, of course, all the more remarkable thanks to the central performances by ILSE SALAS and PABLO DERQUI. They are intense and yet understated. What is more is that their chemistry is believable and feels very true. 

The film might purposefully shy away from showing foghts or intense arguments, but the reason for it might be found in the film's prologue, with a great scent of poetry provided by the interest in scuba diving that takes them to a beautiful seaside location.