Kiki (1989)

Made for the television series Delirios de amor, Kiki tells the story of a man, a woman, and a cat, and their eventual collision as a result of jealousy and unrestrained passion. At a party Armando meets the beautiful Elena, and the two begin a romance, but their bliss is marred by Elena's hatred for Armando's beloved Siamese cat, Kiki. While the supernatural does not have an explicit presence here, like with all of Arrieta's work, it is just lurking right in the background. Elena becomes paranoid, half-jokingly suggesting Kiki is using psychic powers to control her relationship with Armando. In one scene, Elena, dressed like a vengeful Greek goddess, and shrouded in darkness, attempts to kill Kiki by tossing a glass ball at her. Though the story is straightforward, and only lasts twenty minutes, it is humorous and multi-layered, suggesting much more than it shows. Despite the limitations of television, Arrieta's signature use of cinematic space, and his ritualistic compositions are once again on display. Kiki ranks as one of his most solid and compact works, and shows a great artist at the height of his powers.