What better way to spend a rainy night than at the SF International Film Festival?
In spite of its title, 35 Shots of Rum has nothing to do with bachelor parties or fraternity hazings. Actually, that’s not completely true…There are a few moments of bonding that take place in a bar, but a much different type of bonding. It’s a bonding among a small circle of coworkers, friends, and family members, brought together by life’s challenges, as momentous as death and retirement, and as seemingly trivial as a bit of car trouble.
Watching the film was a lot like putting together a puzzle, and pieces consisted primarily of Lionel and Jo, a father and daughter living alone, and Noe and Josephine, their neighbors. The connections between this adoptive family are revealed slowly throughout the course of the film, and are even more compelling as a result. One of the highlights is a night the “family” sets out for an evening together at a concert, but hindered by car trouble and an unrelenting rainstorm, are forced to rethink their evening entertainment. As their evening unfolds, so do the pieces of the puzzle. It is not until the final moments of the film that the meaning behind the title becomes apparent.
The film plays again at the Kabuki on Wed 5/6 at 9:15. If you are patient, you’ll find yourself rewarded.
