Casi Casi
Encyclopedia
Casi, Casi is a 2006 Puerto Rican
film, written and directed by brothers Jaime and Tony Vallés. It received a theatrical release in Puerto Rico in early 2007.
The film takes place in a Catholic school in Puerto Rico
where the main character, Emilio, is infatuated with Jacklynne, the most popular girl in school. In an attempt to win her over, he decides to run for Student Council
President to impress her, only to discover that Jacklynne herself will be his adversary. Emilio then devises a plan, together with his friends, to rig the election and lose on purpose. All this without being caught by strict school Principal Richardson (Marian Pabón).
To achieve this, they approached the members of their own family for help, among them Puerto Rican
actress, Marian Pabón, and Mario Pabón. Most of the cast are unexperienced actors taken directly from school with the intention of giving naturality and spontaneity to the film .
The auditions for the teenage cast were held in three private schools from San Juan, Puerto Rico
:
None of the actors chosen for the parts had any previous experience in films. The directors had some troubles with some of the actors. For example, Ricardo Arias originally didn't want to do the film. The directors, however, managed to persuade him. Also, the role of María Eugenia was given to another actress who left the film a few days after filming began. It was then that Marian Pabón suggested Irene Lucio to audition and play the role.
To minimize expenses, all of the cast had to provide their own wardrobe, except for the school uniform shirts.
) gave the film a very favorable review . Joe Baltake, of the Philadelphia Film Festival compared it with Mean Girls
and Clueless .
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
film, written and directed by brothers Jaime and Tony Vallés. It received a theatrical release in Puerto Rico in early 2007.
The film takes place in a Catholic school in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
where the main character, Emilio, is infatuated with Jacklynne, the most popular girl in school. In an attempt to win her over, he decides to run for Student Council
Student council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
President to impress her, only to discover that Jacklynne herself will be his adversary. Emilio then devises a plan, together with his friends, to rig the election and lose on purpose. All this without being caught by strict school Principal Richardson (Marian Pabón).
Title
Casi [cah'-se], adv. means: Almost, nearly, somewhat more or less; just. Casi que or casi casi, Very nearly.Plot
Emilio is a normal teenager who somehow finds himself being sent to the principal's office every other week. He has a crush on Jacklynne, the most popular girl in school, so he decides to run for Student Council President in order to impress her. After announcing his candidacy, Emilio discovers, to his horror, that Jacklynne herself will be running for office against him. Emotions fly high as campaign fever intensifies. Not wanting to lose his chance to win her heart, Emilio devises a risky plan that could come to a disastrous end if the tyrannous school principal gets wind of his scheme.Cast
- Irene Lucio - María Eugenia
- Fernando Castro - Álvarez - Ángel
- Ricardo Arias - Alfredo
- Marisa Gómez - Natalia
- Alexis Arce - Mónica
- Maite Cantó - Jacklynne
- Manuel Benítez - Manolete
- Roberto Roman - Andres
- Albert Rodríguez - Sr. Bismark
Production Details
First-time directors, Jaime and Tony Vallés, had some experience working in theater. However, they had never made a movie before. They then set out to learn everything they needed about it through books and the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
To achieve this, they approached the members of their own family for help, among them Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
actress, Marian Pabón, and Mario Pabón. Most of the cast are unexperienced actors taken directly from school with the intention of giving naturality and spontaneity to the film .
The auditions for the teenage cast were held in three private schools from San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
:
- Academia del Perpetuo SocorroAcademia del Perpetuo SocorroAcademia del Perpetuo Socorro was founded in 1921 as a Catholic parochial school pertaining to the Perpetuo Socorro Parish at the Archdiocese of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The school is located in Miramar in Puerto Rico's capital city of San Juan...
(the film's directors graduated from this school, and most of the film was shot in its high school building) - Commonwealth High SchoolCommonwealth High SchoolMotto: Building New HorizonsCommonwealth High School is a public high school in Commonwealth, Quezon City and is one of the largest high schools in the city by student population....
- Saint John's SchoolSaint John's School (San Juan)Saint John's School is a private coeducational school located in the Condado neighbourhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Background:The grades of the school are from Pre-Pre-Kinder through 12th Year. Elementary is from grades Pre-Pre-Kinder through Fifth Grade. Middle school begins in Grade 6 through...
None of the actors chosen for the parts had any previous experience in films. The directors had some troubles with some of the actors. For example, Ricardo Arias originally didn't want to do the film. The directors, however, managed to persuade him. Also, the role of María Eugenia was given to another actress who left the film a few days after filming began. It was then that Marian Pabón suggested Irene Lucio to audition and play the role.
To minimize expenses, all of the cast had to provide their own wardrobe, except for the school uniform shirts.
Reviews
Despite being a low-budget film, it has received much critical praise from audiences around the world. Ronnie Scheib (Variety magazineVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
) gave the film a very favorable review . Joe Baltake, of the Philadelphia Film Festival compared it with Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
and Clueless .
Awards
- San Diego Latino Film Festival - Audience Award
- Philadelphia Film FestivalPhiladelphia Film FestivalThe Philadelphia Film Festival is held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Until 2009 it was generally held during the first weeks of April....
- Third Place - Chicago Latino Film FestivalChicago Latino Film FestivalThe Chicago Latino Film Festival is a U.S. film festival, focusing on Latin America and Latinos. Held annually in Chicago since 1985, it is organized by the International Latino Cultural Center and sponsored by a number of national corporations as well as by the local Hispanic and Latino community...
- Third Place - New York International Latino Film Festival - Official Selection
- Vistas Film Festival - Official Selection
- Boston Latino Film Festival - Official Selection