Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her

Richly imagined, gracefully written and delicately realized. [10 Mar 2001, p.F15]

A delicate gem.

Eloquent, understated film.

García apparently prefers ambiguity, implying all sorts of heavy backstory for each of his leads but leaving the details vague, and he lets his actresses carry the baggage in their performances alone.

Things isn't linear, and it isn't all that lively. But it captures the experience of some modern women, and it feels from the heart.

A collection of five femme-oriented vignettes that are not intricately linked dramatically but overlap characters, this observant, emotionally acute drama is distinguished by a pronounced poetic sensibility.

If the stories sometimes use Creative Writing 101 devices (like a quasi-prophetic homeless woman), the total effect is as spare and haunting as the film's arid, beautifully shot setting.