THE EX-PERIMENTO

A messy public breakup becomes a blessing for a control freak in this winning Venezuelan rom-com.

For most women, if the best thing you can say about your boyfriend of four years is that he’s reliable, it’s not a great sign. But for Maria Antonieta Camacho—aka Ella the advice columnist and daughter of the actress-singer known as “Venezuela’s sweetheart”—stability is everything. Or at least that’s what Marianto keeps telling herself when, instead of focusing on strategies to reunite with the boyfriend who just dumped her, she finds herself drawn to Simón Arreaza, the musician turned TV judge she’s been hired to assist. A rockstar romance (with her boss!) is the kind of messiness Marianto spent her lifetime avoiding. She’d micromanaged her future like a Pinterest board, from her ideal husband’s profession to the kids, house, and golden retriever. Marianto even thought she knew when her predictable doctor boyfriend would propose and set her phone to capture the scene for posterity. The fantasy crashed when Alejandro announced that she’s too controlling —“You call the shots and I’m just along for the ride”—and demanded a break instead of the engagement she’d been expecting. The blows multiplied when she accidentally posted the breakup video to her work account and lost her job in the bargain. Working on her mom’s new reality TV competition show is a lifeline, but serving as personal assistant to Simón, the singer-songwriter she’s long admired, is trouble. Their awkward yet fiery chemistry feels refreshingly organic, but the progression of this romance is erratic and not entirely earned. What’s most interesting is how Marianto comes to better know herself. Craving security is only part of her story. She’s rejected everything in her mother’s topsy-turvy life, but being an arts and culture writer keeps her in that world. And for a disciplined person, her life is wonderfully messy.

This romance moves slowly then jerks forward in a leap, but it’s a rewarding rollercoaster ride of discovery.