Set in Mexico City, Leona focuses on 25-year-old Ariela (Naian González Norvind), a mural artist whose upper-middle-class family wants her to marry within their Jewish community. A free spirit — “leona” is Spanish for “lioness” — Ariela instead falls for a sexy goy guy, Iván (Christian Vazquez).
The movie traces the arc of their affair, as Ariela bonds with Iván and his family but refuses to introduce her boyfriend to her own relatives, who want her to marry Gabriel (Daniel Adissi), a well-meaning but boring young Jewish retailer.
Directed by Isaac Cherem, who co-wrote the script with his lead actress, Leona is a low-key, carefully balanced film. Its romantic moments often have a realistic touch of discomfort, and it’s not averse to judging its main character harshly.
Leona is more an intriguing study of Ariela’s situation than an emotional dramatization of it, but it knows exactly where it’s going — a destination established in its first scene. Viewers may be surprised at how perfect the ending is, even as it declines to wrap things up in a traditional package.
Screens Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m., and Friday, April 5, at 1 p.m. at the Fine Arts Theatre. Read the full review at ashevillemovies.com
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