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Ugo Conti, an Italian aristocrat, returns to Mexico and gets entangled in a power struggle after reuniting with his past love, Frida Becker.
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Ugo Conti, charismatic Italian aristocrat and influencer, arrives in Mexico where he seduces the Mexican high society. When he meets Frida Becker again, the love of his past, he will end up in the center of a struggle for political power.
"Almost Paradise (Casi el paraíso) is a Mexican comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Luis Spota, published in 1956, though it transposes the narrative to a contemporary context with some creative liberties. The plot follows a supposed Italian count, Ugo Conti (Andrea Arcangeli), who uses his status to ingratiate himself with a shady Mexican politician, Alonso Rondia (Miguel Rodarte), in order to gain financial benefits. However, he reconnects with Frida Becker (Esmeralda Pimentel), Rondia's press chief, who has a past with Conti and knows the truth about him. The film adapts the story of the novel almost to the letter, with Spota originally writing it as a sharp critique of the new Mexican bourgeoisie that emerged in the years after Cardenismo, seeking legitimacy by aligning with elites – in this case, foreign nobility. However, the film lacks that critical spirit, and while it adds necessary elements for the present day – such as communication in media and social networks typical of the post-Peña Nieto era – it opts for a softer, more sympathetic, and accommodating narrative that does not point out or denounce anything unknown about the corrupt and rotten Mexican political elite. It’s a comedy like many others, which will certainly succeed in making you laugh, but not much more than that."