Most Beautiful Island (2017)

A total waste of time - not recommendable!

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the SXSW Film Festival, "Most Beautiful Island" explores the struggles of an undocumented woman living in New York City. On the verge of eviction and desperate for cash, Luciana (played by Ana Asensio, who also wrote and directed) finds out about an opportunity to earn some quick cash from one of her friends. What she soon discovers is that she has gotten herself into a lot more than she bargained for.

In a cool and understated performance, Asensio effectively captures the desperation and cynicism of her character. The film unfolds like a cinema verite documentary, where the audience is following the characters like a fly on the wall. It gives the film a raw quality at times, but works well for this type of film.

The film was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award from Film Independent for Best Feature made for under $500,000. "Most Beautiful Island" is by no means glossy or slick, demonstrates how you can tell a suspenseful story on a limited budget. It does this by placing a lot of the action off-screen until the conceit of the film is revealed. This also keeps the point of view of the film clearly on the women until the very end.

Stylish and gritty thriller that I found compelling. Somewhat of a slow burn, but deft pacing, realistic characterization and an intriguing plot kept me hooked till the end. I give it 8 out of 10.