By admin [ad_1]
Adria Arjona is clearly a star on the rise. Not long ago, she steamed up our screens in the charming crime-rom-com Hit Man (as the femme fatale with a heart of gold… despite hiring the hitman). She’s broken both hearts and Empire heads as the traumatized but dedicated revolutionary Bix Caleen in Andor. Arjona has even found laughs in polyamory in Splitsville and is possibly becoming a front-runner for the DCU’s Wonder Woman casting. Whether action-rom-coms, seriously dramatic political series set in sci-fi galaxies, or comedies about the perils of partner-swapping, Arjona’s shown exceptional screen charisma and acting prowess. In all these major box-office entries, however, one of her most moving roles in recent years has flown more than a little under the radar.
What Is ‘Los Frikis’ About?
Arjona doesn’t just star in Los Frikis, the second film from The Peanut Butter Falcon directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz; she believed in the project enough to join its team of producers (alongside the powerhouse team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller). Based on a true story, the film is set during Cuba’s “Special Period”—a time of economic depression between 1991 and 2000—when Cuba was reeling from both the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse and terrible, life-destroying U.S. economic sanctions. The combination of factors put the island nation in dire economic straits, causing significant suffering among Cuban citizens. In this context, some Cubans boarded boats for Florida and the U.S. coastline, while others scrambled to stay afloat. In some cases, they took devastatingly desperate measures, which is the story Los Frikis follows.
‘Los Frikis’ Gives Adria Arjona Exceptional Material — and She Shines
In the film, the impoverished members of an outlawed punk band inject themselves intentionally with HIV, ultimately enabling them to live in a Cuban sanitarium that’s become a sort of idyllic utopia (albeit under tragic circumstances). The sanitarium is run by Maria (Arjona), and young Gustavo (Eros de la Puente) hopes to reunite with his HIV-infected brother Paco (Héctor Medina) there. Gustavo can’t bring himself to self-infect with HIV, so he pays a shady doctor to fake his diagnosis. As his friends sicken and die around him, Gustavo desperately tries to keep up the ruse while dealing with the emotional consequences of his deception, while his fellow ‘frikis’ live in the moment, doomed rockers in a temporary, raucous Eden.
In The Peanut Butter Falcon (which follows Zak—Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Down Syndrome, who runs away from a care facility to chase his dream of attending the Salt Water Redneck wrestling school), Nilson and Schwartz showcased a remarkable ability to translate the journeys of unconventional characters living in the moment, against all odds. That’s yet again true of Los Frikis, whose young rebels contend with sickness, the death of friends and loved ones, and social isolation, but whose love of life and ability to appreciate ‘the now’ is remarkable. It’s an emotional setup, since it’s nigh impossible not to become attached to these admittedly doomed characters. There’s also an additional layer of authenticity in the film’s cast. While Adjona is Puerto Rican, the rest of the cast were native Cubans, and Schwartz, (who learned Spanish to direct the film), heavily encouraged actors’ feedback and improvisation. They used historical objects wherever possible, and the sets were constructed to be accurate to the period. These measures gave the moving film a depth it would otherwise lack.
Arjona is utterly excellent as Maria, relating deeply to these HIV-infected individuals, caring for them, and dealing with constantly becoming attached to the sanatorium’s constant stream of new residents with fatal conditions. Her performance is layered and intense—at times encapsulating the joy of connecting to these doomed individuals in her care and at other quieter moments, mourning the losses and realizing just how dire the situation is. It’s an exceptional performance that’s complemented by the rest of the grounded, talented cast and utterly immersive environment. Altogether, Los Frikis is one of the finest films of 2024, even if it’s a relatively underseen entry in Adria Arjona’s increasingly rich filmography, but that’s what makes it an undisputable gem.
[ad_2]