Autumn Days

Luisa has come from the provinces and works quietly in a bakery in the city. She wants to marry and have children; that is the only plan in her life. Don Albino, the widowed owner of the bakery, begins to take an interest in her. Just then she announces to everyone that she is to be married: she has met the driver of a wealthy household and they are engaged. Those around her are delighted and the preparations begin. But there is no driver. Roberto Gavaldón directs. Pina Pellicer plays Luisa and Ignacio López Tarso plays Don Albino. The subject is loneliness and shame. Luisa does not lie out of malice; she knows how an unmarried woman is seen around her and cannot bear it. The best thing in it is how the others respond. Nobody treats her badly; everyone is kind and attentive, and it is precisely that attention that corners her. Pina Pellicer had one of the short and tragically ended careers of Mexican cinema; this is among her best known parts and the performance is measured. Roberto Gavaldón is one of the directors of the Mexican golden period, known for keeping melodrama on realistic ground. The image is black and white and the interiors are tight; the city is always crowded and the character is always alone. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Mexican cinema and character driven melodrama. Who it is not for: the pace is slow, little happens, and the ending is emotionally heavy.