Corazonada

From the tales of Franz Kafka to Alexander Kluge’s Der starke Ferdinand, society’s prized institutions of law and order have found themselves most at risk when those in charge of preserving the status quo suddenly realise they are in the ideal position to trick the system. Such is the temptation that leads astray the central ‘fraud prevention’ figures of Corazonada when they find a way to fiddle with the result of the national lottery. In this case, the members of a video production crew, plus the lottery host, are also in on the scheme. But can they really manage to execute their superb plan? As in many classic Hollywood movies about grand scams, the players find themselves slowly undone by factors ranging from personal foibles to unpredictable, chance incidents. And can any of them hold back from cashing in on a waiting fortune? A fast-paced, deftly plotted satire of the ‘Mexican dream’ of instant wealth – including a sly indictment of pervasive governmental corruption – the film works as comedy, suspense thriller, heist caper and social commentary all at once. And don't be late for the screening, because the ‘urban legend’ depicted in the pre-credits sequence is utterly priceless. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)