Anything You Want (Achero Manas, 2010): USA / Spain

Review by My Eklund. Viewed at Santa Barbara Film Festival 2011.

Anything You Want is about a family; a husband Leo, his wife Alicia and their four-year-old daughter, Dafne. Leo is a hard working businessman at a law firm. Therefore Alicia is the one who spends the most time with their daughter. Sadly Alicia suddenly dies on a park bench while Dafne is playing in the playground. Leo is forced to take care of Dafne by himself, but Dafne still longs for her mother. Since Leo isn’t ready to get into another relationship yet, Dafne wants him to dress up as her mother. He accepts her desire, and he takes on a woman’s responsibility. Dafne starts to believe that her mother is alive and tells her friends, her teachers etc. about it. During this time Leo faces a lot of discrimination, since he exposes himself in public, looking like a woman.

I saw this film on the Metro 4 Theater. The director, producer and screenwriter is Achero Manas. The lighting throughout the film is dense, which in the beginning, before Alicia dies, emphasizes that something bad is going to happen, and after she dies highlights that Dafne and Leo have to go through a very difficult time in their lives. However, in a series of shots there is strong and focused lighting to make the film more interesting, and to keep the audience focused, but the feel of the film is still dense. The filmmakers also choose to have very natural and dense colors on the furniture’s and other props.

Alicia is dressed in dark clothing, as is Leo, but Dafne wears white or bright clothing. This does not change throughout the film. It underlines that both parents are going through something tough, and Dafne’s clothing choice emphasizes that she takes her own stand during what is happening and that she is the brightness in their lives.

It’s crowded in the background when the characters are in public.  Although the background is blurry, it emphasizes the importance of the main characters in a world full of stress, but also their unavailability.  However, later in the film, while Leo is dressed like a woman and has to deal with discrimination, the people around him come into focus, showing their hostility towards him.

There are a lot of close-ups throughout the film, especially on the daughter because she is the center of attention. There is a scene in the film shot at nighttime in the rain. Dafne and Leo (dressed as his wife), sits in a black car, looking into a restaurant, where a family is eating and having a good time. The expression on Dafne’s face accentuates that she will never have that kind of family, because she doesn’t have a biological mother anymore.

This is a great work by Manas. This is a film everyone can relate to. It’s emotional. It’s about tolerance and acceptance. Manas is taking it a step further when Leo is dressed up as a woman to make his daughter happy. He wants to show that he is willing to do anything for his daughter to fulfill her life, without her mom (physically) being in their lives.