The Guatemalan Handshake2006

Lost on a highway somewhere between Steven Soderbergh's "Bubble" and David Gordon Green's "George Washington," Todd Rohal's debut film is a groggy, idiosyncratic look at a community after one of its own goes missing. An oddball slice-of-life with a sugary glaze of weird, "The Guatemalan Handshake" is an interesting exercise in mood - think Todd Solondz without the storm clouds.

Todd Rohal's eccentric comedy has aged beautifully. I liked it when it came out, but I enjoyed it more close to a decade later. While the humor is most certainly evolved from surrealism and sadness, Rohal somehow makes it all feel sweet. Following this odd characters leads the audience to roller derbies, boy scout mishaps and eccentric ideas of familial love. None of the storylines are ever fully resolved but that is not the point. An older woman finds herself in crisis as her missing dog leads her to the realization that she is lonely. She doesn't find her dog, but she does discover her obituary in the local paper. Instead of reporting the mistake, she attends her own funeral. This is an absurd film but it never loses touch with humanity and the ways in which we find comfort.

3.5+ mostly silly & funny sometimes just dumb_i love Sadie & her sister (i think) & the dead dog_some of it is super creative & bright_some of it is just lame_but it's a fun trip

A delightful , entertaining,engaging comedy fugue. It just keeps movin' and groovin''A great Fandor find.

I enjoyed this movie a lot. Interesting soundtrack.

enigmatic, ugly america raises its head and whimpers, scrambles time and smells funny.