The King of Idiots

VANCOUVER PREMIERE  │  Chilean writer-director-actor Boris Quercia’s follow-up to Sex Without Love, his record-breaking hit comedy, was another major box-office success;  The King of Idiots, the comic tale of a decent but naïve taxi driver who is constantly being duped, set a new standard for best opening weekend by a Chilean film upon its release at home. Quercia himself stars as upright Anselmo, a cabbie working out of the Santiago international airport. When a small fortune in American cash is left behind in his car, Anselmo turns it over to the police. This act of honesty earns him a derisive nickname, “The King of Idiots.” Anselmo’s integrity extends to his personal life: he’s long been secretly in love with Sandra (Tamara Acosta), but, because she’s the girlfriend of his best friend and neighbour Mario (Rhandy Piñango), he’s never acted on his feelings.  When seductive Eva (Angie Jibaja), a passenger, connives to have Anselmo take care of her handful of a four-year-old son, it turns the cabbie’s life upside down — and considerably complicates his relationship with Sandra as well. Colour, DVD, in Spanish with English subtitles. 96 mins.