There are a variety of profiles in the production of the audiovisual industry. There are aspects in which comedy bifurcates and it must be seen that there is not only one.
José Rafael Sosa.-
The Dominican comedy has the unique condition of being, at the same time, strength and Achilles heel of the nascent Dominican cinematographic tradition. It is taquilleramente, the type of production that sells more, but at the same time, a part of their titles are responsible for creating a questionable image to the industry, which starts from a repeated phrase: “I do not see Dominican cinema”, in a posture that is a serious error given that our cinema has diversified and qualified in many aspects, to the point that only in comedy, there are at least nine different profiles or subgenres. It is no longer possible to talk about a Dominican Cinema. There are differences, styles and even differentiated schools.
Comedy is the genre that has made people go to the cinema, to be validated the resources invested, which has provoked laughter and that also many people have a general idea of deficit, gender, which is an injustice.
The tendencies, profiles or subgenres in which the Dominican comedy is defined, in our opinion are:
- The founding comedy. It is the one that started the way of comedy with Nueva Yol and Perico Ripiao (Ángel Muniz, 1995 and 2003), characterized by a correct staging, from his script to the interpretative aspects, the use of technical resources with the best possible performance for his time, to which two aspects add: the use of histrionic figures imported from another audiovisual medium (television) and a remarkable commitment of social content. Muniz is a determining and historical figure, although he has decided to take a break with the media aspects of the industry. From Estudios Quitasueño, he does what he wants and loves what he does. He rejects recognitions that he deserves in justice and to see him in a premiere is less than impossible. With everything and its selective attitude regarding relations, Muniz is undoubtedly one of the protagonists of the beginning and development of Dominican cinema. And that distinguishes him whether or not he has stars in the walk of fame of the Dominican cinema.
- The innovative comedy, Starts with José Enrique Pintor Sanky Panky (2007), a trend in which a similar stylistic creativity overflows in its load of humor, handling of the languages of the cinema, and persisting in subtracting its protagonists from television and radio , trying to increase the appeal facing the box office and reaffirms with Sanky Panky II (2013). Pinky Pintor is responsible for the project that has given more room to theatrical actors, with the leading three theater teachers in the comedy There is no choice, a well-made film and that should deserve much more recognition and sales than achieved. The quality of innovation is also noted in the romantic comedy Two better than one (2019) horribly titled instead of Sun and Moon, original title.
- Commercial comedy. Roberto Ángel Salcedo starts in as protagonist, along with Jochy Santos and Daniel Sarcos, in Un macho de Mujer (2006), directed by Alfonso Rodríguez, to continue as the main male figure in Mi novia es de Madre (2007) directed by Archie López, to premiere as director in 2008 with Megadiva and from then on to define a career that produces between two and three productions per year, characterized by easy scripts, which owe a lot to television, with the extreme use of figures that adhere to its popularity television to ensure greater impact, factor favored by being the director-producer who has the best promotional resources (often starting up to five and six months before the premiere). He is one of the producers that sells the most tickets, even though he owes a debt to structured cinema under the care of an integral cinematographic vision.
- The comedy that surpasses itself. Responsibility of Archie López. He is the director who starts with clearly commercial comedies, but in López he undergoes a process of qualification and stylistics that evidences a search to improve messages, move away from stereotypes and even experimental with a kind of comedy of faith (Christian de la Secreta , (2009), Hermanos (2017), in addition to having created a franchise (the most successful of our comedies) with Lotomán (2011) and its other two installments (2012 and 2014), which ends with the also successful Tubercle franchise: Tuber Gourmet (2015) and Tubérculo Presidente (2016), two of the highest grossing taquillera and achieving an approach to the creolization (ridiculed) of the Dominican temperament of popular classes.
- The differentiated comedy. Francisco Disla Ferreira, is a separate case in the Creole cinema. From his production company Imákonos, he has directed three comedies: “A mess in dollars” (2014) “Two policemen in distress” (2016). “The ghost of my girlfriend” (2018), in which evidence the creative impulse so characteristic of a director who does not look like anyone, who takes risks and who establishes, more than a style, a school, by breaking schemes of script and direction. Disla is a star completely differentiated in terms of Creole comedy.
- The creative comedy. It is composed of directors, especially young people who display on screen, a new breath of encouragement and professional consistency. This trend should include José María Cabral, who offered a lesson in cinema with a strong structured sense such as Arroba (2013), a boldness that linked Trujillo’s cinema with fiction films and Detective Willy (2015) with a Faust It kills that I achieve the best role of comedy that has done until the present. To this cinema must be attached the well-done work of Leticia Tonos con Juanita (2018), one of the most high-end humorous film projects, and which provided a sample of how to achieve the best universal cinema from a local history.
- Summer comedy. It is the kind of work thought, as part of an industrial guideline and a market strategy, to be released in summer that has the young David Pagan with Trabajo Sucio (2018) and now with Maravilla (2019) in theaters very Caribbean Cinemas. Dirty Work could be transformed into a great beginning of this trend, but it was criticized for its similarity with Chance “by Panamanian director Abner Benaim. With Maravilla, which we have already seen, it vindicates itself enough to achieve a better work for laughter. It continues to rely on figures from television or digital platforms.
- The comedy of female pride. This is the work of various directors who play with the aspiration of women to take active, dynamic and transforming roles in the traditional image of women and that opened with the smash hit “Who’s in charge ?, (Ronny Castillo, 2013) produced by Larimar and that established a new reference (in spite of criticism of similarity with the style of other international comedies). They are also here: All women are the same (David Maller, 2017), which also provides a decisive milestone for our cinema, due to the spark of the female quartet that shines.
- The comedy of “Christmas blockbuster”. It starts with Colao (Frank Perozo, 2017), Que León (F. Perozo, 2018), Juanita (Leticia Tonos) and in December 2019, Lions. In general they are industrial productions treated with a special business affection and an effort to cover above the standard, all their care. They make a marked effort in the promotion and marketing.
- Comedy in need of quality. These are bad billing jobs, poorly conceived from your script or deficitariamete resolved in its realization. Usually by inexperienced directors or lacking the spirit of grace demanded by the genre. You can quote in this section Lio de Faldas (by Miguel Vásquez), Mi Angelito Favorito (Alfonso Rodríguez).
