Though it’s not horrible as far as it goes, “Un Dia en la Vida” is not really a story at all. It’s the beginning of one.
It’s about Rosalia, the manager of a slightly seedy Los Angeles motel. When her drug-addict daughter appears with a boy she claims is her son, Rosalia is disbelieving. The blonde child is five and she last saw her daughter just three years prior. Still, Rosalia agrees to take care of the child for the day, but if her daughter hasn’t returned, she’ll turn the boy over to Child Protective Services (probably not a bad idea, even if she does turn up).
That’s the set-up…and it’s also pretty much the movie. The press notes mention something that sounds like an ending, though an open ended one, but I didn’t see any kind of resolution at all. There’s nothing wrong with conclusions that leave some questions unanswered, but to simply leave things as you start them is unacceptable.
