Riff Raff (Los Canallas)

Year: 2009
Country: ECUADOR
Run Time: 73 minutes

A quirky omnibus film by four recent film school graduates, RIFF RAFF centers on a group of eccentric slackers whose stories circle around one another until they become intertwined. Helena lives with her kooky grandma, waiting perennially for her dad to call; but it seems he's abandoned her. She half-heartedly slits her wrists in the bathtub, only to be cheerfully called out of the tub by grandma for coffee. Helena also has a crush on Esteban, who agrees to be her boyfriend only if she gets her best friend Alicia involved in a ménage à trois. Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Daniel works at a store selling pirated videos. He won't give up boxing even though his pregnant wife Sofia begs him to quit. When she leaves him, he throws his final fight. Meanwhile, Lider plays his ukulele on the bus, hoping to pick up some change. As he gets off, he finds Daniel at the station saying goodbye to Esteban, who's leaving the country. When Lider gets to his job as a night security guard, he discovers Helena, still alone and still dissatisfied… (In Spanish with subtitles) –B.B.

• Tweet