La mujer de mi hermano
Encyclopedia
La mujer de mi hermano ("The wife of my brother") is a 2005 Mexican film directed by Ricardo de Montreuil
, based on the novel of the same name by the Peruvian writer, journalist and TV host Jaime Bayly
. It starred Bárbara Mori
, Manolo Cardona
, Christian Meier
, and Mexican legend Angélica Aragón
.
of each storyline.
) is a beautiful woman who has been married to Ignacio (Christian Meier
) for nearly a decade. While Zoe still loves her husband, she feels the spark has gone out of their relationship, and she's become restless and anxious. Hoping to find the excitement she craves in forbidden fruit, Zoe falls into an affair with Gonzalo (Manolo Cardona
), Ignacio's rough-edged but handsome brother. Zoe and Gonzalo's passionate affair is deeply satisfying to them both, but the adulterous couple must deal with the sharp sting of betrayal when Ignacio finds out they've been sleeping together. However the story takes a big turn when we find out the affair has only been a revenge towards his brother for Gonzalo. He is taking revenge for his brother raping him when he was younger therefore destroying his life.
and novelist Bayly intended to take the story in a separate and somewhat different direction than the novel. "When María Eugenia Argomedo and I began collaborating on the script, we were hoping to make something new out of the material, rather than simply reproducing the book onto film," said Montreuil on an IFC
interview.
La Mujer de mi Hermano rates poorly on RottenTomatoes.com, with a 21% approval rating, the consensus being, "No better than an R-rated telenovela, with the requisite love..." It currently holds a 41% rating on Metacritic
, which indicates "some medium reaction."
on November 26, 2005, it had already been seen in Mexico by 850,000 people. The film won second place at the festival that year, after Luis Mandoki
's Voces inocentes
, and was expected to reach one million total spectators and two million dollars at the box-office.
In the first week of exhibition it had a box-office total of nine million pesos
(approximately 800,000 dollars). The movie opened in third place after Chicken Little
and The Legend of Zorro
. In the first weekend of the United States
release the film grossed slightly over 1 million dollars (an uncommon feat for a Mexican film in the American market).
Ricardo de Montreuil
Ricardo de Montreuil has achieved recognition in a wide range of media, including film, television, advertising and print.- Early life :...
, based on the novel of the same name by the Peruvian writer, journalist and TV host Jaime Bayly
Jaime Bayly
Jaime Bayly Letts is a Peruvian writer, journalist and television personality. He is the third of 10 children and is known as "el niño terrible" .-Early life:...
. It starred Bárbara Mori
Bárbara Mori
Bárbara Mori Ochoa is a Mexican actress and model. She became famous for being the female lead in the Bollywood film, Kites....
, Manolo Cardona
Manolo Cardona
Manolo Cardona is a Colombian actor.-Personal life:Cardona was born in Popayán, Cauca, Colombia. At the age of seven Cardona's family baptized him "Manolo".This would later be used as his name as an actor.When he was eighteen he moved to Cali, Colombia, to finish his studies. Manolo studied...
, Christian Meier
Christian Meier
Christian Dietrich Meier Zender is a well-known Peruvian actor and singer in Latin America.-Biography:Christian Dietrich Meier Zender was born in Lima, Peru, the youngest of four children. He is the son of Gladys Zender, Miss Universe 1957, and Antonio Meier. His father is from Peru and his mother...
, and Mexican legend Angélica Aragón
Angélica Aragón
Angélica Aragón is a Mexican actress of telenovelas and such films as Dune, A Walk in the Clouds, Bella, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Vivir un poco, Mirada de mujer, Novia que te vea, and the blockbuster film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.-Early life:Aragón was born Angélica Espinoza Stransky in Mexico...
.
Structure
La Mujer De Mi Hermano ( "My Brother's Wife") could be considered in a category of films that critic Alissa Quart calls 'hyperlink movies', in which multiple stories take place, each affecting the other in ways that characters are unaware of, all the while using radically different aesthetic and cinematic techniques to define the mise en scèneMise en scène
Mise-en-scène is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means "visual theme" or "telling a story"—both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction...
of each storyline.
Synopsis
A woman bored with marriage discovers the pleasure and pain of infidelity in this stylish drama from Mexico. Zoe (Bárbara MoriBárbara Mori
Bárbara Mori Ochoa is a Mexican actress and model. She became famous for being the female lead in the Bollywood film, Kites....
) is a beautiful woman who has been married to Ignacio (Christian Meier
Christian Meier
Christian Dietrich Meier Zender is a well-known Peruvian actor and singer in Latin America.-Biography:Christian Dietrich Meier Zender was born in Lima, Peru, the youngest of four children. He is the son of Gladys Zender, Miss Universe 1957, and Antonio Meier. His father is from Peru and his mother...
) for nearly a decade. While Zoe still loves her husband, she feels the spark has gone out of their relationship, and she's become restless and anxious. Hoping to find the excitement she craves in forbidden fruit, Zoe falls into an affair with Gonzalo (Manolo Cardona
Manolo Cardona
Manolo Cardona is a Colombian actor.-Personal life:Cardona was born in Popayán, Cauca, Colombia. At the age of seven Cardona's family baptized him "Manolo".This would later be used as his name as an actor.When he was eighteen he moved to Cali, Colombia, to finish his studies. Manolo studied...
), Ignacio's rough-edged but handsome brother. Zoe and Gonzalo's passionate affair is deeply satisfying to them both, but the adulterous couple must deal with the sharp sting of betrayal when Ignacio finds out they've been sleeping together. However the story takes a big turn when we find out the affair has only been a revenge towards his brother for Gonzalo. He is taking revenge for his brother raping him when he was younger therefore destroying his life.
Cast
- Bárbara MoriBárbara MoriBárbara Mori Ochoa is a Mexican actress and model. She became famous for being the female lead in the Bollywood film, Kites....
as Zoe - Manolo CardonaManolo CardonaManolo Cardona is a Colombian actor.-Personal life:Cardona was born in Popayán, Cauca, Colombia. At the age of seven Cardona's family baptized him "Manolo".This would later be used as his name as an actor.When he was eighteen he moved to Cali, Colombia, to finish his studies. Manolo studied...
as Gonzalo - Christian MeierChristian MeierChristian Dietrich Meier Zender is a well-known Peruvian actor and singer in Latin America.-Biography:Christian Dietrich Meier Zender was born in Lima, Peru, the youngest of four children. He is the son of Gladys Zender, Miss Universe 1957, and Antonio Meier. His father is from Peru and his mother...
as Ignacio - Bruno BichirBruno BichirBruno Bichir is one of the most prolific actors of the contemporary cinema of Mexico as well as telenovelas and theater....
as Boris - Gaby EspinoGaby EspinoMaría Gabriela "Gaby" Espino Rugero is a Venezuelan actress and model. She best known for her roles in telenovelas.-Biography:...
as Laura - Angélica AragónAngélica AragónAngélica Aragón is a Mexican actress of telenovelas and such films as Dune, A Walk in the Clouds, Bella, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Vivir un poco, Mirada de mujer, Novia que te vea, and the blockbuster film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.-Early life:Aragón was born Angélica Espinoza Stransky in Mexico...
as Cristina - Beto CuevasBeto CuevasLuis Alberto "Beto" Cuevas Olmedo is the former lead singer of the now-defunct Chilean rock band, La Ley. He grew up in Montréal, Quebec, and is fluent in French, English, and Spanish. He was born in Santiago, Chile, and now resides in Los Angeles and is pursuing a solo career.-Biography:His...
as Padre Santiago - David Leche Ruiz as Jorge
Adaptation
For this film, director Ricardo de MontreuilRicardo de Montreuil
Ricardo de Montreuil has achieved recognition in a wide range of media, including film, television, advertising and print.- Early life :...
and novelist Bayly intended to take the story in a separate and somewhat different direction than the novel. "When María Eugenia Argomedo and I began collaborating on the script, we were hoping to make something new out of the material, rather than simply reproducing the book onto film," said Montreuil on an IFC
Independent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
interview.
Reviews
The film received mixed reviews from critics. They attacked the film's plot for being overtly dramatic, while defenders interpreted it as a truthful film, one that tries to depict the most realistic aspects of relationships.La Mujer de mi Hermano rates poorly on RottenTomatoes.com, with a 21% approval rating, the consensus being, "No better than an R-rated telenovela, with the requisite love..." It currently holds a 41% rating on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which indicates "some medium reaction."
Box office
By the time the movie debuted in the Festival de Cine Iberoamericano de HuelvaFestival de Cine Iberoamericano de Huelva
The Festival de Cine Iberoamericano de Huelva is a film festival, celebrated since 1974 in Huelva, Spain) dedicated to promoting Latin American cinema in Europe. The festival is chiefly publicly funded. The grand prize is the Colón de Oro for best feature...
on November 26, 2005, it had already been seen in Mexico by 850,000 people. The film won second place at the festival that year, after Luis Mandoki
Luis Mandoki
Luis Mandoki is a Mexican film director working in Mexico and Hollywood.Luis Mandoki studied Fine Arts in Mexico and at the San Francisco Art Institute, the London College of Printing, and the London International Film School...
's Voces inocentes
Voces inocentes
Voces inocentes is a 2004 Mexican film directed by Luis Mandoki. The plot is set during the Salvadoran Civil War in 1980, and is based on writer Óscar Torres's childhood. The film serves as a general commentary on the military use of children. The movie also shows injustice against innocent...
, and was expected to reach one million total spectators and two million dollars at the box-office.
In the first week of exhibition it had a box-office total of nine million pesos
Mexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
(approximately 800,000 dollars). The movie opened in third place after Chicken Little
Chicken Little (2005 film)
Chicken Little is a 2005 computer-animated science fiction family comedy film loosely based on the fable The Sky Is Falling. It was the 46th animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation...
and The Legend of Zorro
The Legend of Zorro
The Legend of Zorro is a 2005 sequel to The Mask of Zorro , both directed by Martin Campbell. Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones reprise their roles as the titular hero and his spouse, and Rufus Sewell stars as the villain...
. In the first weekend of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
release the film grossed slightly over 1 million dollars (an uncommon feat for a Mexican film in the American market).