Red Cockroaches (2003)

First of a Trilogy: In a New York ravaged with acid rains, a man in his twenties meets a mysterious, yet familiar young woman who disrupts the banality of his day-to-day existence. Together, they will embark on a surreal journey with a devastating climax.

Director:

Miguel Coyula

Writer:

Miguel Coyula

Stars:

Adam Plotch, Talia Rubel, Diane Spodarek

14 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Adam Plotch	...	Adam Zarrasky
Talia Rubel	...	Lily Zarrasky
Diane Spodarek	...	Krista Zarrasky
Jeff Pucillo	...	Nick
Limor Shopen	...	Monica Zaister
Stu Richel	...	Bill Harris
Leila J. Babson	...	Doris, the baglady
Mariana Moratona	...	Drunk woman
Stephanie Sloane	...	Laura Zaister
Sarah Brensinger	...	Alice
Peter Brensinger	...	Evil boy
Ed Band	...	Priest
Stephanie Wang	...	Reporter#2
Paul De Sousa	...	Bar manager
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ilanit Benjamin	...	Girl by the sea

Storyline

First of a Trilogy: In a New York ravaged with acid rains, a man in his twenties meets a mysterious, yet familiar young woman who disrupts the banality of his day-to-day existence. Together, they will embark on a surreal journey with a devastating climax.

---

Plot Keywords:

acid rain | color in title | mother son relationship | alternative reality | cockroach | 

---

Taglines:

Love is relative

---

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Cuba

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cucarachas rojas

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pirámide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The apartment scenes were shot in Adam Plotch' real life apartment.

---

Quotes

Adam Zarrasky: This is by no means the family's worst secret.

---

Connections

References Mulholland Drive (2001)

User Reviews

Boring, Pretentious, yet somewhat interesting Sci Fi film

Every movie has it's good and it's bads, and this is no exception. The scifi aspect of it was pleasantly low key. The director seems to have a knack for cinematography, which by and large was superior. The world it set up was interesting, and there is nothing wrong with the Sci Fi elements.

Except for, to remind us that it is the future, flying cars are digitally added time and time again. Why? Enough of the flying cars. Show a few of them, and that's fine. Not every time somebody is on the street, one just happens to whirl by. It's agitating. Not all of the time did it bother me, but sometimes, when I am trying to pay attention to the characters on screen that that hunk of metal comes across the screen.

The "Personal" story of the film takes over past the scifi aspects, which generally is something I respect in a film. Not this time. The story revolves around a thoroughly unpleasant man's sexual tension and attraction to a mysterious young woman (who is equally unpleasant). Sure, the mystery involved was more important then the fact that these were characters I couldn't care about. I probably wasn't supposed to like them, thus the attraction to the mystery.

And isn't everyone tired of the cliché "Man sees Mysterious girl who changes his life" thing anyway? I mean, seriously. Too many indy film clichés in this. Including the fact that if the characters aren't swearing at each other, they are trying to say something somewhat intellectual. People don't talk like that in real life.

Mysteries remain unsolved by the end, probably because this was planned as the first part in a trilogy. Which is fine. However, nothing conclusive ended this film. There was no catharsis, and all we got was a card that said "Red Cockroaches" to let us know the film was over.

With all my criticisms of the movie, I am looking forward to viewing the next two films. Perhaps the Director might have improved on his craft, because that's all it really needs. It had a lot going for it, but unfortunately became just another prententious indy film.