Bionico’s Bachata: Review

22nd October 2024

Bionico’s Bachata: Review. By Jake Peffer.

Throughout Bionico’s Bachata we follow Bionico, a homeless man who is trying to better himself. His fiancée La Flaca is returning from rehab so Bionico is doing whatever he can to make things better for them. He tries to find himself a job, he looks to try, and he also tries to quit drugs with the help of his friend Calvita. None of this is easy for Bionico as he continually learns, but he is determined to make a better life for La Flaca and himself.

For the first half of Bionico’s Bachata, I was engaged. The direction is a bit chaotic, but things were moving at a nice pace, character interactions were interesting and the soundtrack all the way through is top notch. However, once the movie shifts into the second half things slow down a bit and I found myself less interested in what was happening. Where the story eventually ended was a surprise, but it felt like it lost something along the way.

Like I said before, the direction is kind of all over the place, but it’s done in a way that makes things, at the very least, interesting. Everything in the movie is being shot by a film crew within the movie itself, so it does have a found footage feel to everything going on. The characters, most notably Bionico and Calvita, are written well and make things engaging throughout the runtime. Their interactions with one another are humorous at times but they always make things entertaining for the most part.

The setting here works well. Roaming around the streets of the Dominican Republic, we get to see just how gritty and grimy everything in Bionico’s world tends to be. Adding in that great soundtrack, that has plenty of songs that will make you nod your head, helps compliment the story and adds a bit more character to this world. Manuel Raposo, who plays Bionico, does a great job in the lead role. He has a great on-screen presence that is a huge highlight for the movie.

Despite losing some steam in the second half, Bionico’s Bachata is a thoroughly enjoyable movie. The direction is mostly good, the characters are engaging, the story keeps your attention and the performance by Manuel Raposo makes this one worthwhile.

Facebook

Google

Twitter

We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.