Just Because It Looks Like a Western, Doesn’t Mean It Is

Read Time:2 Minute, 27 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Jesus Kid
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Genre: Comedy
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 28m
Director(s): Aly Muritiba
Writer(s): Laura Malin, Aly Muritiba, Lourenço Mutarelli (original story)
Cast: Paulo Miklos, Sergio Marone
Where To Watch: Available on DVD or via IndiePix Unlimited – https://indiepixfilms.com/

So I’m not a huge fan of westerns; when I received this in the mail and opened it up, I was more than a little worried. The front cover screams western; thankfully (for me), that wasn’t the case at all. While the film is about Eugênio, played by Paulo Miklos, he is an author of a series of Western novels (Jesus Kid series), and this is anything but a western itself.

We see the journey of Eugênio through the film and his struggles to continue the series beyond where he’s gone so far due to writer’s block. Director Aly Muritiba takes this opportunity to dive into a unique experience when the characters of these books become a little more than the words on the paper. The majority of the film takes place during Eugênio's self-isolation to work on a new project while he tries to write a screenplay that he begrudgingly accepts to do. That’s when the fun begins, but be warned, this isn’t your traditional comedy; this is very much a dark comedy with plot lines that aren’t afraid to make you rethink everything you’ve seen.

I would’ve liked to have seen a little more of the satire and have the film lean into the darkness instead of just riding alongside it. That’s probably my biggest complaint which is saying something. With a cast that I wasn’t at all familiar with, I could dive into this world and not have any preconceived ideas of what to expect. That’s why I constantly preach about my desire to know as little about a film as possible before watching it. This was the definition of that experience as I didn’t know I’d even be receiving it and couldn’t be happier.

Typically, had I seen this cover on a shelf, I would’ve walked right by it because of my dislike of westerns; this is one of those times when its truly best to not judge a book by its cover (or a movie, in this case, a movie about books…)

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