Dot the I

Dot the I (2003): Directed by Matthew Parkhill, this film from Spain (it is in English, so no subtitles) is a unique look at a love triangle where nothing is quite what it seems.  A young woman, on the brink of marrying a wealthy British business man, goes out to a French restaurant for her bachelorette party.  There she is coerced by the management into partaking of a “last kiss” — a French tradition where the bride selects a man to kiss before she is wed — her last kiss as a single woman. Leave it to the French!  Anyway, the bride, Carmen (played brilliantly by Natalia Verbeke), chooses a young actor who has just entered the restaurant, Kit (played by Gael Garcia Bernal, from “Motorcycle Diaries”).  He is working on an independent film with his two film-maker friends.  The handheld digital video shots are interspersed throughout the movie and add a raw visual element to the action, as well as a bit of a mystery.  Where are the camera angles coming from?  Who is behind the lens in some of these scenes?  Carmen and Kit kiss in the restaurant and ignite a bit more passion than they had bargained for.  The love triangle that results is sweet, tortured and funny.  The movie concludes with a surprise twist that involves death, true love and, of course, rave reviews!  Great rental!.  (Review by Victoria Summers)