YUCATAN

by Andrea De Carlo ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1990

Here, De Carlo (Macno, 1987) has a European film-maker and his assistant traveling to the US and Mexico in a murky yet minimalist search for revelation. Internationally famous Dm Resnik heads for L.A., assistant Dave in tow, in an attempt to get film rights to the work of mysterious Astor Camado (a Carlos Castaneda-type), who hit it big with books about the other dimension and Mexican sorcery drugs. Camado seems willing, then suddenly panics and disappears; Resnik begins to find ominous notes in his room and receive bizarre phone calls from someone (or something) who seems to know more about him than he knows himself. Eventually, on the orders of a mysterious force that wants to be referred to as ""You,"" Resnik and Dave travel through Mexico with Hollywood producer Jack Nesbitt and his girlfriend (identified by You as ""the spiritual girl""). They visit ""negative"" and ""positive"" places; Resnik muses about the void; Dave occasionally remembers to be jealous and to wonder when he'll be able to make his own films; Nesbitt pays the bills. Then they rush back to L.A., where Dm privately exclaims, ""What is the message? That we are all making the wrong use of the world. . .destroying and consuming. . .building horrible containers for lives and activities. . .,"" etc. Still obeying You, they meet ""the physical girl,"" dress in specified colors, buy musical instruments, and await the promised (properly modernist and anticlimactic) revelation. Overblown metaphysics combined with spare writing: silly and humorless.

Pub Date: March 1, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1990

Categories: FICTION