2023 HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Fer (Maximiliano Rojas) is eleven years old, and he’s headed to an All-Inclusive resort with his family. While on vacation, his father promises that this trip won’t be about business, that, for the first time in seemingly forever, he will make time for Fer. Chaos erupts, and the promise made to Fer now looks empty.
All-Inclusive starts on a high note–one that is tonally bright and vibrant. We see Fer singing in the car having a blast, headed to a beautiful vacation spot with his family. Viewers quickly become immersed in this tropical world that reminds us of brighter days and better times–and yet the color and the aesthetic never truly reflects the feeling we get in the opening moments. There is something physically dark and drab present in the film, like the physical beauty that should have existed in the world around Fer is somehow stripped away by Writer-Director Duván Duque Vargas. Even in this moment of ecstasy, in this moment where we can see how happy Fer and his family are, we are pulled from it–a brilliant juxtaposition that allows us to see both the good and the bad in what lies just before us.
We are often given both the good and the bad, the positive and the negative–and we are almost left to our own devices to determine the true meaning of the film. That’s how All-Inclusive ends, with us having to mull over the meaning behind the film.
We are left with a dark, ambiguous ending–one in which I’m not sure there’s a correct way to interpret. Has Fer come to the conclusion that he will never be fully understood, that his parents don’t have the time for him, or is there something else, something more to his tears at the conclusion of the film? Maybe it’s not as dark as it appears, maybe he’s realizing that things will be alright. There are so many possibilities here, and I think that Vargas has a particular ending in mind–but he leaves it open to interpretation. That’s the mark of a stellar writer, one that is able to curb their thoughts and opinions on their own content and make it for the viewer. All-Inclusive is for the viewer, and it gives us one last thing at its close, something that will allow us to think, analyze, and maybe never come to a conclusion regarding Fer and his family.
We are ultimately left on an emotional note, regardless of how we determine that emotion. Again, we are left to think about the emotional aspects of the film throughout its entirety–and a lot of why that aspect of All-Inclusive is so successful is a result of the acting. Rojas is great, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s not really his emotion that’s showcased until the end. Viewers see Natalia (Alejandra Herrera) and Fernando (Leopoldo Serrano) pull emotion out of the narrative and allow it to rise to the surface. There’s no escaping emotion throughout All-Inclusive, and both Herrera and Serrano are massive in creating said emotion. They are incredible actors that both take control and feed off of one another. They find a balance just like the rest of the film–and there’s no way these two don’t give you goosebumps.
Much (if not all) of All-Inclusive is emotionally powerful, and by the end of the film we are left to ponder the implications of Vargas’ film. Ultimately the story of Fer, we are left with him in an emotional state, not entirely sure of what it means. All-Inclusive is a film that you may need to watch more than once, that warrants a conversation, and will likely keep you thinking for days after watching.
Written & Directed by Duván Duque Vargas.
Starring Maximiliano Rojas, Alejandra Herrera, Leopoldo Serrano, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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