“Forever Lupe,” the new short film from director Martin Caballero about the Mexican American actress Lupe Velez, opens in 1944 Hollywood, with the title character puking into a gilded toilet. From there, we are whisked back in time to 1930’s Beverly Hills, where two lovers make plans for a wedding before heading out for the night.
That wedding never happens. And then the melodrama begins….
To this film’s credit, the sets, props and costumes are outstanding. However, the film itself plays out like an overwrought soap opera, with much wailing, sobbing, and proclamations of one thing or another.
At points, the dialogue is so over the top that it almost becomes a caricature of itself, threatening to veer off the tracks and derail the entire film at any moment. And the actors don’t do it any favors, either, chewing each line with an aplomb that borders on the maniacal.
Poor Lupe. And poor us.
