Here is a funny and sweet road movie... if you want to lift your spirit up.
Ana is the name of the film but also the main character in this story. She is 11 years old and the movie starts with her mother being arrested by the police, leaving her alone in the streets.
She tries to sneak in a car at the auto seller who's her downstairs neighbour... and he quickly catches her. Since she's too young to be left alone, the man - Rafa - decides to try to contact anyone close to the girl, to see if they can keep her while her mother is in jail.
As if a problem wasn't enough, Rafa's business turns from bad to worse and he gets himself into a much bigger hole by gambling money he doesn't have... which makes him a target for criminal loan sharks. 😯
This kicks off an unexpected road trip adventure for the both of them, as they travel through Puerto Rico's lovely landscapes to try and find Ana's father while they try to raise money to save Rafa at the same time. 😎
Ana (2020), by Charles McDougall: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6865630
Andy Garcia and Dafne Keen play the main protagonists in the story and they are perfect at it. Andy Garcia is always humorous, despite his obvious hardships... while Dafne Keen is perfect in the role of a clever young girl, as charming as she is funny.
The movie is filmed on Puerto Rico and you'll get to see a little bit of everything, from the poor neighbourhoods to the beautiful countryside landscapes of the country.
I rate this with a 8 out of 10. I find it weird that this only has a 5.5 rating on IMDB. Either most viewers didn't get it... or they are simply grudgy old people who can't even fake a smile, let alone enjoy this beautiful story. Don't let yourself be fooled by this rating. The movie deserves a much better one.
