Un monstruo de mil cabezas is a compact film that is thrilling from start to finish and where every minute counts. It is a perfect use of film as a movement without hammering down its goal. Sonia Bonet, played fantastically by Jana Raluy, is a woman desperate and left without choices and in a now-or-never kind of moment, she proceeds to accomplish her goal whatever it takes. And her reasons are impossible not to sympathise with. It is perfectly paced, going from one location to the other while holding one's breath, and the emotional impact is strong.

*** This review may contain spoilers ****Plot analyzed* A Monster with a Thousand Heads (2015) may find extreme resonance with the decent people who have had to deal with the intimidating web of useless bureaucracy that entangles most, if not all, governments or corporations. All bureaucracies tend to put real people at the wayside, concentrating on extending their profit margin or influence. They are virtual laws onto themselves. In fact, all corporations have a "bean counter" (a person involved in financial decisions, and who is usually reluctant to spend any money or pay out to those in need.) in their departments.A Monster with a Thousand Heads opens up with a dark room and an ailing person. I did not read the synopsis of the film, thus it was a mystery to me what was going on and quite interesting to watch how the film commenced. I did not know if it was a documentary or a drama. An ambulance is called and a family wakes up with evident stress upon their person. It turns out that a wife has been taking care of her infirm husband. The ambulance technician, or some caseworker, tells her that he needs immediate care.She attempts to go to the corporate headquarters of a medical insurance to speak with a doctor in charge of her case, and she waits, and waits, and no one seems to really care. Finally, she takes matters into her own hands, grabbing the annoying phone secretary and asking who is the man in charge of her case. With her son, who is a punk rocker (he has a 1980's haircut, close-cropped in front, with a long tail in back, think Dave Dictor from the punk rock band MDC and he's a fun character and an accessory to his mother's "crime"), she uses a gun to find those involved with the decisions of denying her husband the necessary aid he needs to stay alive. Someone at the private recreation club does get shot while trying to wrest the gun from the mother and they all are on the lam (running away from the law). They travel through the city, intimidating more corporate lawyers or their smug accomplices. Most of which are at private recreation clubs, or privately guarded expensive houses.The film itself was short, clocking in at around one hour and ten minutes, but still, it's a nice little statement of anarchy against the rich and powerful corporations that deny us our lives. It was filmed in Mexico, so it's nice to see an independent foreign film of some substance. Music Box Films put it out, and they do some lovely independent films of all types."Power is the chance to impose your will within a social context, even when opposed and regardless of the integrity of that chance.Max Weber (German sociologist)

A Mexican thriller-drama based on the novel of the same name. A theme about fighting a defect in the health insurance policy by an ordinary middle-class family. I had no idea of what this film is about, in the last minute I decided to watch, not even knowing about the storyline or its genre. But intrigued by its honest narration. The depiction in the film might not how in the real world happen, yet it uncovers what the desperate people can able to do if they were not treated fairly. You should not judge it by its cover, I mean its low rating and bad reviews. It is a much better film with a message.The film ran nearly 75 minutes, which is shorter than an average film length, but it revealed everything it wanted to tell the viewers in a bold attempt. One of the realistic films I have ever seen that dealt with the real world issue in an unconventional way. The story of a middle aged wife Sonia, whose husband is very ill and completely depending on the insurance to cover the bills, but the company refuses to pay. So her quest commence to convince them and when she realises it is complicated, in the desperation she takes an alternate route to handle the situation. The following events are unexpected, powerful, before emotionally concluding."Next time, we'll rob a bank, okay?"It is not about the corruption, but still fits in that category. In the end how you take it all matters. It started off like a slow drama, the developments were failed to impress me until the first 20 minutes. Surprised by the series of events came after that. The mother and son fighting the system their way when there was no option left, or maybe going through the legal proceeding might cost the time and life of the patient. They knew their position, and they did what have to be done at that point without thinking the consequence.It is definitely an interesting take, the writer might have inspired by the real poor people's struggle to access the health insurance benefits, especially in the developing countries. So she added some extra contents to the screenplay (book) where the characters in the story can fight the bureaucracy and to make the story appeal its audience. The film was awesomely made, though there was no money making agenda behind it. The actors, particularly the one as Sonia was amazing, she could convince the viewers the character she played or the story are not fake. And then often, the gunfire sounds suddenly changes the environment in the film to pick up the pace like we do hit the refresh in our computer.That one night event where most of the story takes place was looked some kind of undercover operation by the media. But the camera angles to cover the other side of some of the scenes were smart enough to pour in more interesting stuffs to us to stick with it. This film can't be watched for entertainment or to gain inspiration from unlawful act that shown in it, but it's set to deliver its own message. I don't think anybody would regret watching it, because it is short and sweet and the topic of the film is alone worth a watch. There are some full male nude scenes, but they were unintentional. Other than that it is a good film for everybody, especially for the grown ups I suggest.7/10

Greetings again from the darkness. Instances of the little guy fighting mightily against a bureaucratic monolith are featured often in cinema, so it's helpful to have an auteur like director Rodrigo Pla serving up his vision … in this case, a story from writer Laura Santullo.In just the few opening scenes we quickly gain an understanding that this is an emotional story, and not one determined to spell out all details through intricate dialogue. Instead the lighting and camera focus on Sonia (Jana Raluy) as she tries to comfort her husband as he moans in pain (her face relaying that feeling we've all had as a loved one suffers so).Next we see a determined and desperate Sonia … with teenage son Dario (Sebastian Aguirre Boeda) in tow … escalating her battle against the doctors, insurance company and pharmaceutical company that have seemingly conspired to prevent her husband from receiving the treatment he needs. Sadly, we easily see ourselves sliding into Sonia's shoes as she pursues the proper treatment for her husband – blackmail, kidnapping and assault laws be damned! Her fight against a corrupt and rigged system never gets easier, even after she uncovers documented proof that doctors are incentivized for high rejection rates. In other words, profits are priority over healing and treatment. Though set in Mexico, this personal desperation has been experienced by citizens of most every country.Mr. Pla's expertise as a filmmaker is evident throughout. The use of a running courtroom narrative as a backdrop adds dimension to the otherwise minimal use of dialogue. Additionally, the camera work is stellar … especially in an early parking garage scene where we witness the first confrontation through the windshield of another car (assisted by that vehicle's headlights). It's yet another example of how emotional responses outweigh the verbal here, and why this story of fighting bureaucratic red tape goes beyond many others.