The film begins with a man going to his ex-wife's apartment to deliver some frozen meat. However, after looking over her place twice to see if there were any clues as to where she was, he finds her--dead. Apparently she killed herself--and did an amazing job organizing her life for the family. For example, all the food that the family would need for Passover was there--made and labeled in the refrigerator. But, the story has a few hiccups. First, the ex-husband really despised her in many ways. For example, although she was a Jew, he deliberately finds her in a Christian cemetery and with a VERY Christian coffin--talk about passive-aggressive! Second, although I never knew it, apparently some Jews look upon suicide much like many Catholics see it--like it's a mortal sin and you cannot bury such a person in consecrated ground! Really. But, there is one more hitch that unexpectedly develops--something the dead woman did not anticipate--a stray photo.To me, this is a great example of a film that is expertly crafted but lacks one very important thing--a story. So, while I can really admire the acting (particularly Fernando Luján) and the director had a really deft artistic touch, the story itself left me flat--very flat. The biggest problem is that I kept expecting all the story elements to come together into something magical--something that would make this film worth while. But, unfortunately, it just never came. The sum of all the good parts just couldn't outweigh a story that seems like it should have seen at least one more re-write.

Nora's Will has a good solid premise, a very good leading actor who does what he can with both the character and the screenplay, a pretty involving beginning and such a good grasp of the Jewish religion's burial rituals that it almost feels mean to say anything negative about it. Truthfully i didn't really find it funny so much as gently, wryly amusing, and even then not as much as it could've been. Also the pacing of the film is a wee bit on the slow side. It almost feels like a stage play in part.If you go in thinking this is going to be a straight up comedy...you'll be disappointed as its definitely more of a drama with some lightly humorous moments scattered throughout. Story is pretty basic--Man who's been separated from his wife for the last 15 years walks into her apt and finds her dead triggering many unhappy flashbacks of their time together, many unhappy family reunions, and many grimaces by the grieving man as his family is trying to honor his ex wife's wishes to be buried in a religious way. A lot of the humor stems from the man's willful and stubborn refusal to honor her requests in any way...and his attempts to belittle the rabbi and the religious ceremony that she wants to be a part of in death also come into play.Its a semi cute film but it not uproarious (in fact its quite downbeat and even rather depressing in spots)...but even worse is that it doesn't really go anywhere either. Eventually the man sort of comes around and accepts her death, and does what he can to help her wishes after refusing to honor her for the running time of the film. That's more or less it in terms of plot. Character development is unfortunately equally thin as we learn about the various horrible things his ex wife pulled on her husband when they were married...but they loved each other overall, and its sad that she's no longer there to bug him of course, etc.Film manages to stay on the watchable side thanks in no small part to the lead actor who manages to make his character's crabbiness somewhat appealing (and quite understandable once we've witnessed the flashbacks) Film has some solid supporting characters esp in the daffy actress who plays the ex wife's sister, but everyone who's not the main character is a little bit left out as its really the husband's movie.

A lethargic beginning is never really overcome in this very slight, mildly interesting and amusing film. Complications from the death of the eponymous title character eventually provide some conflict but the main tension for too low is between the ex-husband and his memory of the controlling woman he left 20 years ago, only to move next door, ostensibly to keep an eye on his son. Never bad and not poorly paced for its slight content, the main problem is a concept that just isn't developed enough. The story as presented here could've made a strong short film but is ultimately meager at feature length, despite a few twists and fine acting.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best examples of what talented Mexican filmmakers can achieve. Excellent plot, impeccable script, outstanding actors and an amazing director's work. No big sound effects or different locations are needed to tell a deep story that leaves you wanting to know more (Ms. Chenillo, please tell us there will be another film about Jose's life!), as a matter of fact, it takes place inside an apartment in Mexico City, for the most part. Certain aspects of Jewish beliefs and traditions that many viewers would not understand are seamlessly integrated in the dialogs, and yet there's no saturation, no "over explaining". It's a very clean story, almost unadorned, and yet there is so much beneath it! As a viewer, you never lose interest, on the contrary, you get more and more intrigued as the story unveils -flashbacks are a smart element that adds to the anticipation. A thought lingers on after the movie ends: humans beings, regardless of faith or heritage, are rich, complicated and fascinating beyond the limits of life. Standing ovation!!!