THE STRIKE Review

As written and directed by multi-hyphenate Guillermo Iván The Strike could easily pass for an artist on the brink writing about his experiences as an artist on the brink, but The Strike is strangely able to transcend this typical "write what you know," "art about art" facade by making itself something of a broad comedy that relishes in making its protagonists who are struggling actors, the source of the screwball in the screwball comedy. From appearance alone with its big bold red text proclaiming its title above the characters posed in slapstick positions it would seem The Strike is an amateur attempt to capitalize on the generic comedies Hollywood once spit out in the Spring and Summer so as to make a quick buck on a relatively cheap property that thrived largely on the appeal of its stars and their reputation for bringing the funny. Rarely now do we see comedies made off the name of the star alone (unless you're Melissa McCarthy) and even rarer are the days when it seems original comedies broke out. While The Strike certainly won't buck this trend it is a competently made film that doesn't bring the funny as much as it does the philosophy. It is clear Iván wants to discuss some heavy things-mainly that of the art of acting, why it is necessary in a world gone mad, and the great weight of your skill not necessarily matching your ambition, but that he tries to do this through the guise of jokes makes for an overall off-kilter experience that tells us the heart of the film isn't in the humor, but more so in the life lessons it would like to touch on. This isn't wholly a bad thing. Given that one of the main themes Iván discusses is ambition versus reality it is apt that the film he has made has bigger ambitions within it than what the final product ultimately delivers, but the effort is clear and counts for a lot when it is obvious resources were somewhat limited. That may not sound exactly like a ringing endorsement, but trust me, it is-when one can see the promise in the abilities even if they're not fully realized in what has been produced there is still value in the piece. If nothing else, it points toward the promise to come.