As Jamie travels in Chile, he invites an eccentric woman to join his group's quest to score a fabled hallucinogen, a move that finds him at odds with his new companion, until they drink the magic brew on a beach at the edge of the desert.
It has the vague, baggy feel of the semi-improvised, and like the San Pedro cactus, boiling this film down to extract its essence takes an age and may hardly feel worth the effort.
Verdict: Weird, in a good way.
Though produced by Pablo Larrain – better known in arthouse circles for his disturbing trilogy exploring the fall-out from the Pinochet coup d’état (Tony Manero, Post Mortem, No) – this feels very much like a Chilean riff on Y Tu Mamá También, particularly as it brings proceedings to a head in a way that’s emotionally satisfying without betraying the characters.
The film-makers' freewheeling approach (the heavy use of handheld camera, the seemingly improvised dialogue) sometimes grates, but the lyricism and humour here just about atone for the navel-gazing self-indulgence.
Stretches of improv with passers-by means the film can resemble one of those What the Director Did on His Holidays doodles, yet its breeziness is oddly warming: Silva's open to the elements in ways his blinkered protagonist only claims to be.
Apparently, it was uplifting and liberating to make; sadly, it's rather less rewarding to watch.
Michael Cera and Gaby Hoffmann's dynamic while not always pleasant is always alive.
Gaby Hoffmann is terrific as the titular free spirit, while Cera nails the neurosis lurking behind Jamie’s toxic-tourist front with deadpan precision.
The cumulative effect is negligible, and the film could comfortably end at any point in its final 30 minutes and have exactly the same impact as the actual ending.
No more Mr Nice Guy: Michael Cera and Sebastian Silva on Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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