Most of the film tells about the adventures of the bus passengers who happened to them on this very road. A burst tire, a stalled engine and wheels bogged down in a swamp are nothing more than reasons to introduce the viewer to the world of collectivism of the traditional Mexican outback. But the magic of Buñuel collective road-movie with simple, like a straw hat, characters, imperceptibly, under jokes and quarrels, filled with births and deaths, holidays and sorrows. The bus ride turns out to be an image of a meaningful human hostel. Although everyone has their own goal of the trip is certainly important, but it can only be achieved by sharing their joys and sorrows with everyone. Together, overcoming another difficulty and accepting someone’s joy or grief, the characters of the film climb a step up the symbolic ladder to the sky.
Barely married Oliverio, the main character of the film, to go on the road prompted love for his mother and the desire to fulfill her last will – to issue a will. It is interesting that on the way to the highest point of the “stairs to the sky” Oliverio is motivated only by the desire to quickly get to a lawyer, because a sick mother can die at any time. Therefore, he energetically helps to fix the bus and with difficulty, but still rejects the outright molestation of the seducer Raquel. But as soon as the guy gets to the top of the mountain and realizes that the hardest part of the road is behind, he immediately gives a slack, allowing passion to fill precious minutes, each of which threatens to become fatal. It is symbolic that the further path of Oliverio lies down.
“Stairway to Heaven” is a perfect example of how the genius of cinema, who was afraid to work in the homeland in which the fascist regime reigned, can transform the ordinary life of a third world country into an intellectual cinema of the highest standard.
8 out of 10
Original