Making It Up Review: This film is directed by Guillermo Calderón, who also joins as the writer of this film. It stars Paulina Gaitan as Ana, Ilse Salas as Alexandra, Regina Blandón as Rita, Martha Claudia Moreno as Sonia and Tamara Vallarta as María. Other cast members include Fabrizio Santini, Mariana Villegas, Emmanuel Varela, Eliza Sonrisas and Mauricio Gordillo. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Patricio Rabuffetti, Hugo Sigman and Rocío Jadue serve as producers, while Sergio Armstrong serves as the director of photography.
All the music in the movie has been done by Yamil Rezc, and the shots are compiled and edited by Andrea Chignoli and Ana García. Also known as Maquíllame Otra Vez, this movie runs for 82 minutes and follows three makeup artists trying to make rent in the unrelenting city of Mexico.
– The Making It Up Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Imagine if all the Euphoria makeup didn’t go to waste and someone used it to tell a wholesome story. Well, that is what this film is like. It follows three women in the city trying to make it as makeup artists after their careers briefly took off, only to crash and burn terribly. Their lives are intertwined in the most convoluted ways possible. Initially, the timeline gets a little screwed up, and the voiceover in the background doesn’t help to clear it up much. But when we are taken back in time, there is some understanding as to what comes next.
All these actors have great potential, but they were at the mercy of a mediocre script and direction. The writing was unclear, and it felt like the audience was pulled in multiple different directions without it being justified. In the beginning, it isn’t even clear who is doing the voiceover because the character doing it wasn’t on screen. It is elements like this that give it the new filmmaker energy, of someone still figuring out the ropes of the tools and industry.
Fortunately, the makeup and costume department worked like their rent was due because the lines were clean, precise and included so much creativity that it reminded me of all the creators on the internet who spend multiple hours doing something creative with makeup instead of covering up and shaping the face. Additionally, the visualisation was done differently for every character, which showed that they would all have different ways of using makeup as armour. When it comes to building characters, this movie does a great job of doing that.
All of the female characters have their distinct personalities, and they even pass the Bechdel with flying colours. Men are a rare commodity in this film, and that is possibly the best thing about it. There are so many places where the film falls short, including but not limited to the narrative structure, writing and screenplay, but the things it excels at make it worth at least seeing it once. It is not plot-heavy and generally very vibey.
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Making It Up Review: Final Thoughts
If you are looking to watch something with minimal use of brain cells, this is good. There is very little plot, but the representation of female friendship and the prospect of being young are themes that are explored well in the movie. Hustle and bustle are the staples, but it was also about highlighting the reasons why people continue to do art, even if it means that people don’t get paid well.
However, that is still not enough to ignore the abysmally weird timeline of the movie and the plot points of the film. This is not for those people who might find meaning and some deep intellectual epiphany in this film. It is wholeheartedly a chill film, and it knows that. It is commendable that they are aware of its unseriousness, which is what gives this film a little bump over just being a less-than-average film.
Making It Up is currently streaming on Netflix.
What do you think of the film? Are there other Spanish films that explore female friendship better than that? Let us know in the comments below.