Año Uña

I SUPPOSE you would have to describe this charming little picture from Jonás Cuarón - the 29-year- old son of Alfonso - as an experimental exercise.

In the manner of Chris Marker's legendary La Jetée, Año Uña (Year of the Nail)tells its story through a series of still photographs. A combination of photo-novel and slide show, it, thus, asks the audiences to make a few significant adjustments in attitude.

One could not, however, honestly represent Año Uñaas a difficult film. Following a Mexican lad's harmless obsession with a visiting American student, Cuarón's drama gradually takes on the aspect of an agreeable light comedy. It feels, in short, considerably less odd than it sounds.

Structured according to the seasons, the story begins with two American students gossiping their way around Mexico City. Molly (Eireann Harper, aka Mrs Jonás Cuarón) enjoys the experience and feels somewhat embarrassed by the more vulgar, less culturally sensitive friend.

Some time later, Molly, now involved in a hopeless relationship with her professor, returns to Mexico and boards in a house owned by the parents of the permanently horny Diego (Diego Cataño). They become pals, but Diego, still a fog-brained teenager, wants more.

The voice-work is nicely carried off. Harper has a distant tone that communicates Molly's slight preciousness, and Catano has great fun with his character's priapic obsessions.

Does the eccentric form of the film add anything to the experience? I think so. The collage of still images (which begin in black and white and gradually become more colourful) come to seem like mementos of a well- remembered adolescence. One imagines oneself sitting beside the narrators as they flick through a photo album and ponder the people they once were.

Año Uñamay ultimately feel a bit thin, but there is enough wit and narrative invention on display to suggest that this latest Cuarón is worth keeping an eye on.

Directed by Jonás Cuarón. Starring Diego Cataño, Eireann Harper, Salvador Elizondo, Michele Alban, Cristina Orozco, Mariana Elizondo 15A cert, Light House, Dublin, 78 min ****