A Silent Love (Region 1 Import DVD)

In this sophisticated romance, Norman (Noel Burton), a middle-aged Canadian professor, meets a young Mexican woman, Gladys (Vanessa Bauche of AMORES PERROS), through an Internet dating service. The two meet in Mexico. Norman proposes and, a bit tentatively, Gladys agrees, but with one stipulation: her widowed mother, Fernanda (Susana Salazar), must be allowed to come back to Canada with them. Soon, the intricacies of the non-virtual world begin to trip up the married couple: Gladys wonders if Norman had "help" writing his charming emails, and Norman suspects Gladys of using him to get a green card. The intelligent and beautiful mother-in-law does her best to mend the fraying edges of the relationship, but slowly she becomes the greatest obstacle of all because Norman finds himself falling in love with her, and she with him. Under the sure hand of director Federico Hidalgo and with rich and nuanced acting by the three leads, this film, which easily could have been a contrived or situation-driven story, delves deeply into the complex emotional lives of the characters as they strive for companionship and love.