12 Horas

Plot

12 Hours depicts the comic and tragic events that take place one wild night out in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The film follows five separate, yet linked story lines. Liza (Yadira Nazario), a shy recent divorcee, goes out barhopping with the man-hungry Ada (Wanda Rovira) and their more level-headed friend, Virginia (Michelle Deliz), a single mother. Ada and Virginia spend the early part of the evening desperately trying to get Liza to loosen up. Virginia's pretty teenaged daughter, Cristina (Cielomar Cuevas), has been told to stay home for the night, but her friends convince her to go to a party where a boy she likes will be waiting. Cristina lets her friends know she's planning to lose her virginity. The handsome Abraham (Charlie Masso) has recently decided that with his looks and sexual prowess, women will pay for his company, but his first "job" ends disastrously. Soon thereafter, he catches the eye of an aggressive drag performer, Jackeline Bom Bom (Flavia Manes Rossi). Kathy (Rosabel Del Valle) is a popular TV personality who longs to do serious journalism. She and her cameraman end up in the middle of a convenience store robbery, during which a pregnant woman goes into labor. Bringing all the story lines together is Roberto (Marcos Betancourt), an old, kindhearted cab driver working the night shift, whose wife has Parkinson's disease. A clock flashes onscreen as the hours tick down. 12 Hours, the debut feature of writer/director Raul Marchand, was shot on digital video. The film won the audience award at the 2002 Chicago Latino Film Festival and was shown in competition at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival, earning a special mention. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Review

12 Hours is an energetic, fast-paced, sexy, and stylish tour of San Juan nightlife hampered by occasional lapses into cliché and by an unnecessarily downbeat and unsatisfying ending. Writer/director Raul Marchand uses entertaining visual tricks (freeze-frames, wipes, fast-motion) and an eclectic blend of Puerto Rican pop music to capture the wild energy of a night on the town in San Juan. Together with an inexperienced but attractive cast, he's created a large group of compelling and sympathetic characters. Particularly appealing are Cielomar Cuevas, as the virginal Cristina, and Charlie Masso, as the pragmatic temporary gigolo, Abraham. Rosabel del Valle, as the ambitious television reporter, is also good, but hers is a character seen in too many movies. Several plot elements -- the lost lottery ticket, the woman in labor -- are similarly hackneyed, but the film transcends its more shopworn story devices through Marchand's slick pacing and effervescent tone. There's a tragic twist at the end of the film, dramatically unearned and thematically troubling, which threatens to cast a pall over everything before it. But despite some missteps, 12 Hours is a very pleasant and engaging film, which is a tremendous credit to the Marchand's talent as a filmmaker. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cast

• Marcos Bentancourt - Roberto
• Rosabel del Valle - Kathy
• Michelle Deliz - Virginia
• Charlie Masso - Abraham
• Yadira Nazario - Liza

Flavia Manes Rossi - Jackeline Bom Bom; Wanda Rovira - Ada; Teofilo Torres - Antonio; Cielomar Cuevas - Cristina; Jaime Bello - Gustavo; Kidany Lugo - Jorge; Modesto Lacen - Asaltante

Credit

Patricia Alonso - Casting, Gina Perez - Costume Designer, Patricia Alonso - First Assistant Director, Louis Martinez - First Assistant Director, Raul Marchand - Director, Raul Marchand - Editor, Elba Luis Lugo - Executive Producer, Jorge Rojas - Executive Producer, Geronimo Mercado - Composer (Music Score), Alex Berrios - Musical Direction/Supervision, Raul Marchand - Musical Direction/Supervision, Raul Marchand - Production Designer, Jaime Costas - Cinematographer, Elba Luis Lugo - Producer, Eduardo Ortiz - Sound/Sound Designer, Raul Marchand - Supervisor/Manager, Raul Marchand - Screenwriter

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