Summary
An artistic blend of genres, from crime and thriller to comedy, but if you’re not a fan of avant-garde-style films you will find this one hard to engage with.
I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me is a Mexican Netflix comedy thriller and adaptation of the novel of the same name by author Juan Pablo Villalobos. The screenplay adaptation was written by Maria Camila Arias (Birds of Passage) and director Fernando Frias (I’m No Longer Here). The cast includes Darío Yazbek, Natalia Solián, Alexis Ayala, and Anna Castillo.
The story surrounds a writer, Juan, whose career and life go off script when he falls prey to a dangerous web of criminals. Juan and his girlfriend move to Barcelona to study, but this gang turns his life upside down. He uses these unexpected events to write his first novel, reflecting on the surreal and confusing events he has lived through.
I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me Review and Plot Summary
Whilst the film is described as a comedy-thriller, it fits in the crime genre as there are not a lot of funny sections, and the plot has far more serious content and subtle social and political undertones (which is ironic as his Ph.D. is in studying humor.) In fact, I don’t think I laughed once, and characters who I assume were meant to be the comic relief I found more cringe-worthy and weird.
The runtime is long, at nearly two hours, and whilst some sections are entertaining and build suspense, it does drag out, and at times I was zoning out and struggling to stay invested in the storyline. The beginning is far too long and doesn’t grip you. I could have easily turned this film off in the first ten minutes.
I persevered, and the film does build when the criminal activity starts. Juan’s wheeler-dealer cousin gets him involved with criminals who blackmail him to infiltrate a milieu of literary postgrads and to seduce a student called Laia, the daughter of a wealthy Catalan magnate from whom they hope to extort money. With an avant-garde archeness, the film then offers basement murders, double-crossings, and serious suspense. This does feel like it leads to nothing as the ending is weak. I expected more after being taken on such a long journey, but was left feeling unfulfilled. Even though the film comes full circle, it feels like simple writing.
Dario Yazbek Bernal (House of Flowers) plays the lead role of Juan Pablo Villalobos and does well to portray an anxious, humble man who gets caught up in a sticky situation and begins to lose his sanity trying to get out of it. He’s understated and easy to watch. There’s good chemistry between the characters as they play around with closeness and distance, mood swings, and navigating being blackmailed by criminals. Natalia Solián deserves a mention for her portrayal of Vale, as her performance is strong, emotional, and memorable.
Is I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me worth watching?
If you are a fan of avant-garde-style films, this is one to invest your time in. However, if you’re looking for a crime-thriller or comedy, your expectations may not be met and you may find this film slow and boring.
It’s clear the film wanted to express the violence that happens in Mexico, and many other political and social issues, such as exploitation, toxic relationships, foreign students… and through its clever language, it does this well. However, if you’re not listening or well-versed in its topics, this will go over your head.
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