This Mexican film blends fact and fiction so well that it's hard to tell what is staged and what isn't. First-time director Carlos Marcovich follows the life of a Cuban teenager named Yuliet Ortega. Yuliet doesn't let her harsh upbringing (her father left the country when she was a baby, and her mother committed suicide) get in the way of her dreams of being a model and actress. Marcovich accompanies her and an older model (Fabiola Quiroz) to Mexico City, Los Angeles and New York. Filmed over a period of years, the transitions between locations and times get confusing. One city blends into another. Marcovich also doesn't seem to know what footage to trash or keep. Some of the film is powerful (Ortega's eventual reunion with her father is handled nicely), while much of it is simply meandering. The endless shots of Jose "Don Pepe" Breuil carrying suitcases get old quickly. Ortega is beguiling and has a wicked sense of humor. It would be nice to see her in another film, even if she isn't playing herself. (N/R) Rating: 5

© 1998 Kino, used by permission.