I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me – Netflix Review (2/5)

I DON’T EXPECT ANYONE TO BELIEVE ME on Netflix is a thriller from Mexico (org. title: No voy a pedirle a nadie que me crea). It has a dark comedy vibe that won’t be for everyone. Read our full I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me movie review here!

I DON’T EXPECT ANYONE TO BELIEVE ME is a new Netflix movie from Mexico (org. title: No voy a pedirle a nadie que me crea). The movie is labeled as a thriller comedy hybrid and it certainly does have a very dark and twisted humor. Also, someone is killed early on, so it also shows purely dark thriller elements.

Most of it plays out in Barcelona, but it does begin in Mexico as the main character (and his girlfriend) is about to leave for Spain. I expected to really like this movie, but something about it didn’t work for me. With a runtime shy of two hours (1 hour and 57 minutes), that meant a long watch that felt even longer.

Continue reading our I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me movie review below. Find it on Netflix from November 22, 2023.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Ah yes, you can actually use lyrics from a Queen song – like “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the above headline – to make a point. In I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me, we switch between real life and fantasy quite a lot. Or rather, we follow a writer and the book he’s writing based on what he experiences.

In this movie, the particular writer’s career and love go completely off the rails suddenly. Or “off script” to use writing vernacular. Just as he’s getting ready to leave Mexico for Barcelona to pursue his PhD, he gets caught up with criminals by way of his cousin.

He still goes to Barcelona – along with his girlfriend as the criminals make it clear this is also a must – but he is never free. Instead, the Mexican criminals are using his presence in Barcelona for money laundering.

This is the core thriller element, but we also follow him as he goes to school and his girlfriend tries to make a life for herself in Spain. She doesn’t have school, so she’s just moving there with her boyfriend for a little adventure.

I was left numb

After a few initial scenes with a lot of focus on male genitalia (you’ll see, trust me), I got an idea of how this movie would be. Also, this isn’t the only time the phallic form will be on your screen. Hey, I’m from Europe so I really couldn’t care less, but it was just used in strange ways.

To me, anyway.

Also, I cannot imagine the overall darker humor will be for everyone. It wasn’t doing much for me. And I’m someone who loves horror comedies as well as satire and dark humor in general. Juan Pablo was not a likable character at any point, but I accept that this could also be very intentional.

I tend to love the directness of many Spanish-language productions. This one is direct as well, but it just didn’t do much for me. Even his girlfriend Valentina has a very strange character arc. Again, this was my experience, and I am certain others will see this very differently.

I just felt numb a lot of the time, which is never good for a movie.

Watch I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me on Netflix now!

I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me (org. title: No voy a pedirle a nadie que me crea) was directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra, who also wrote and directed I’m No Longer Here (org. title: Ya no estoy aquí) which is also on Netflix. The screenplay also comes from him and Maria Camila Arias (Netflix series Green Frontier).

The movie is based on the novel by Juan Pablo Villalobos. Yes, just like the character Juan Pablo. The book, much like the movie, is a meta-construction where art and reality merge. Having led a safe life – maybe even boring – Juan Pablo finally gets his creative juices going and writes the novel of his dream as his life falls apart.

It may very well be that much of this film’s charm is lost on me because I’m not familiar with the novel. Or it could be that I just wasn’t in the mood for it. It’s not that I hated it. In fact, it’s almost worse as I felt numb a lot of the time. I was indifferent. A mortal sin for any movie!

I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me is on Netflix from November 22, 2023.

Details

Director: Fernando Frías de la Parra
Screenwriters: Maria Camila Arias, Fernando Frías de la Parra
Novel: Juan Pablo Villalobos
Cast: Darío Yazbek Bernal, Anna Castillo, Juan Minujín, Alexis Ayala, Natalia Solián, Clara Roquet, Jelen Garcia