In 2018, the Chilean duo Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña made a splash with their creepy animated film, La Casa Lobo (The Wolf House). It became a sensation, especially during the pandemic, even leading to their invitation to contribute to Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid. Two years ago, their sophomore film, Los hiperbóreos, was a bit more timid in its reactions, and now they return with Princesa Lobo (Donkey Princess). In an ancient kingdom, Arthur (Francisco Melo) is the king. His daughter, Diana (Antonia Giesen), is a young and beautiful princess. She falls in love with Lalo (Andrew Bargsted). The girl gets heartbroken, especially when her father banishes him from the empire, à la Romeo and Juliet. Lalo gifts her a bracelet that allows her to travel in time, where they might finally find love.
Despite being a live-action feature, at least in most moments, the directorial duo crafts a mixed-media work that provokes its weirdness. The initial fifteen minutes present a scenario similar to the one we observe in Beau is Afraid, with the painted backdrops and scenarios that remind one of the classic eras of cinema. In the same vein, despite the Shakespearean dilemma, in those sets, there is a reminiscence of the regional works from the Latin America. Its aesthetic reminds one of the telenovelas, probably the most consumed product in the region. The complex and creative usage of the restrained spaces as the kingdom, where Giesen uses a beautiful gown and shares a room with her pet: a donkey (spoilers: hence, the title). But there is an abrupt shift to the future, where they might finally love each other. Still, the director creates alternative realities that justify the now. They land on a 1980s-like moment, when Diana becomes a regular woman dating a guy who drives around the city delivering products.
Among the time travels in this romantic adventure, León & Cociña attempt to keep their signature alive. In this sense, it is a film that mixes the dichotomy of modern relationships and the love between them, which comes from different social classes. It is now positioned in the context of financial disparity between them. That oneiric element that crowns the works of the duo is an element of this story that is a romance. Beneath the animation and the puppetry, they craft a love story that dives into two ways: the romantic and parental. The deliberate confusion between timelines, characters, and subplots is a fascinating construction of the film, like a puzzle. Still, there is a lot of vacancy between the visual elements and the textual. For example, rather than the initial fifteen minutes, the film never reaches the same level of image complexity.
In this sense, Princesa Burro is three films in one. It is a Shakespearean tale, a 1980s dramatic romance, and a modern drama on paternity, grief, and loss. In some of those moments, there is an element that works fine, which is the acting by Antonia Giesen. In this sense, she anchors the film as the central dramatic aspect of the film; every event happens around and because of her. Therefore, it creates a fascinating moment when she plays three different eras, each with a nuance. Therefore, there is an impressive acting range by the young Chilean actor. However, her male co-leads are not on the same level, leading to an imbalance in the trio. It requires each of them to work together to make the film work conceptually.
At first, the Donkey Princess works in the first minutes, but as a whole, it lacks the execution to cohere like three different stories that travel the time. The elements that made them famous are here: the painted backdrops, the weird imagery, the mixed-puppets; it is a visual feast. Still, narratively and visually, the film stops working after its first time travel, which ironically is the gear of this story. León & Cociña craft a fantastical world, welcoming us to admire its details. Yet, it is not enough to develop the intricacies of the stories that it is attempting to put together.
In the end, Princesa Burro is a misfire by one of the most exciting duos of the moment: Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña. Yet, it lacks substance to work as a whole, leaving it as a shallow piece of work after the credits roll.
Princesa Burro (Donkey Princess) recently played at the Locarno Film Festival.
Learn more about the film at the IMDB site for the title.
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