In reality, 40 Days is sort of intriguing, proposing as it does that Mexico City has precisely the same kind of pretentious and disaffected trust-funded hipsters that Williamsburg, Brooklyn does. Not only that, but they're invading America. We're introduced to aspiring filmmaker Andres (Hector Arredondo), who, after getting dumped by his girlfriend, decides to go find himself on a long American road trip. He's joined by Pato (Andres Almeida), a loquacious and semi-alcoholic gay man who is prone to spouting way too much philosophical drivel. He has a vintage Mercedes convertible, however, so Andres needs him. Muscling in at the last minute is Ecuador (Luisa Saenz), a lovely young artist who seems to have as much free time as the other two (40 days, to be precise). And away they go.
First stop, the Mexican desert, where the three harvest their own peyote and go on a mindbending freak out. Recovering from that experience, they quickly make their way to the border, race through Texas, and head for Memphis, where they sit around, talk, drink in bars, and share a motel room. Although he is not conventionally good-looking, Pato has some success in hooking up in the bar scene (his English helps), and the wounded Andres finds solace in Ecuador's arms.
They travel up the east coast through Washington and eventually to New York, with all their travels captured in grainy handheld shakiness. It's here that Pato's cruising luck runs out. Wandering off into the darkness with a new conquest, he is severely beaten. After that, the little group can't wait to be on the road again. Across Pennsylvania they journey toward the midwest and eventually Las Vegas, where things take an even darker turn.
Is there any point to all this driving, any revelation, any epiphany? Not really, except for the rather obvious one that when you're seeking answers to life's problems, it's probably more useful to look within yourself than to look at 4,000 miles of American highways. When this road trip runs out of steam, it'll be back to Mexico none the wiser and without any particular enlightenment. My guess is that Andres and Ecuador will just be glad to get out of the car so they won't have to listen to Pato talk anymore.
Aka 40 días.
And 40 nights.
