This movie may contain some strong scenes, but it is a good screenplay that becomes great by the excellent performance of Daniel Gimenez Cacho. Ana Claudia Talancon makes a good performance look even better by her beauty. But unfortunately not all actors in this movie are good, I'm talking of the horrible work that Jose Maria de Tavira does in this movie, its a bad acting work but it looks like garbage compared to his coworker Gimenez Cacho. The screenplay its a great adaptation of the books written by Angeles Mastretta, this screenplay was done by the author of the book and the director, Roberto Sneider. The movie takes a theme that reminds you of La Ley de Herodes, so it portrays the old fashion politicians in Mexico, which still exist. The directors work is a good work which makes you try to remember his name, i personally hadn't seen any of his previews works but now that I've seen this one I'm sure gonna see his next work, he directed Dos Crimenes with Pedro Armendariz Jr. and Damian Alcazar. The movie is worth seeing and you enjoy it a great deal thanks to the acting of Gimenez Cacho, i hope to see more lead roles from him. So i hope you enjoy this one, and it has been already released so i don't know why it is shown as in production still.

Angeles Mastretta's 1985 novel, "Arrancame la vida", was a huge success in Mexico as well as in many Spanish speaking countries. The title, which can be translated as "tear out my life", was also the title of a famous Mexican song, which is heard at the end of the film sung by Tona La Negra, one of the best Mexican singers of all times.

The narrative centers around Catalina Guzman. As the story begins, she is a young woman that is dazzled by a much older man, Andres Ascencio. They get married, much against her father's objections. Catalina is not prepared for what her life will turn out with her new status. Andres, an ambitious, and well connected man in Puebla, decides to run for governor of the state. Before getting married Catalina had consulted a seer to see what her future will be and the fact she wanted to 'feel'. The woman's advice is a blunt one: she will use her sex in order to fulfill herself. A prophetic omen, indeed.

Right after Catalina and Andres have their first child, he comes in with two other children he had sired with another woman. Catalina, who is inexperienced, plus having to rear her own infant, is confused and resentful of the strangers that are thrown into her lap; a new responsibility she didn't count on. Andre, a womanizer, will bring another daughter into the household.

Andres decides to take the family to Mexico City where he will be closer to influential people as he wishes to run for the presidency, eventually. Walking into the Bellas Artes auditorium one day, Catalina watches a rehearsal of the local symphony orchestra. The director, Carlos Vives, gets annoyed with her presence. He wants her to step to the rear of the theater where she will not distract the players. That meeting will mark a turning point in Catalina's life. Unfortunately, Catalina doesn't realize how her amorous involvement with Carlos will change her life as well as cause his death.

This epic account of Ms. Mastretta's novel was written and directed by Roberto Sneider. The film gets the basic points of the novel in cinematic terms resulting in an engrossing story that, although predictable up to a point, doesn't prepare the viewer for the way Catalina's resolve will free her at the end.

Ana Claudia Talancon, who we first met in "El crimen del padre Amaro", makes an excellent impression with her Catalina. Ms. Talancon goes from a young woman to a sophisticated society lady effortlessly. Equally good is the Andres of Daniel Gimenez Cacho, a wonderful actor that always delivers. Jose Maria De Tavira appears as Carlos Vives, the orchestra leader that falls in love with Catalina.

Javier Aguirresarobe's cinematography takes us to places in Mexico that are overlooked by most of his fellow cameramen. The music by Leonardo Heilblum and Jacobo Lieberman does wonder for the picture. Roberto Sneider, an actor turned director, shows he has a talent that needs to be seen.

Mexican director Roberto Sneider wrote the script of "Tear This Heart Out" ("Arráncame la Vida") with the author and winner of the Mazatlán Prize for Literature for the best book of the year Ángeles Mastretta published in Mexico in 1985 partially inspired by the life of Maximino Ávila Camacho, a four-star general in Mexico's revolutionary forces, brother of Manuel Ávila Camacho who was President of Mexico from 1940 to 1946...

The film opens with the beautiful Catalina Guzmán (Ana Claudia Talancón) marrying at her early age a charismatic and cunning general named Andrés Ascencio (Daniel Giménez Cacho), much older than her… Dazzled by his world, Catalina escorts him on his political campaigns, perceiving at his side the intriguing political systems to obtain social justice...

Catalina, a smart but not an educated young woman, dedicates years of her youth to a 'loving' husband… She comes to Puebla to hear from the voice of her man, the governor of the beautiful city, that soon she will be the First Lady of Mexico as he considers himself the best-qualified candidate to win the race for the Presidency...

But one day, Catalina finds out that her arrogant and prepotent macho man is cheating on her with several women and has several children out of that relationship… But in spite of all that, and observing her husband's pervert and bad manners, Catalina continues to live with Andrés, to bear his two children, to train his others children in her family, to serve him as his adviser and to guide him to win elections, taking intense pleasure from that attitude… Nevertheless she learns that life and power are not always so pink…

There is a scene during her pregnancy, where we saw her detecting that she is totally neglected… So, for the first time we watch her taking pleasure in having a love affair with a teenager who cherished her dearly…

But the movie takes a dramatic turn when Catalina falls really in love with a concertmaster... And it was forbidden for her to fall in love! And she executes her cruel vengeance on Andrés sharing the musician' bed ignoring the predestined course of his future fate…

And here Roberto Sneider's motion picture clearly comes off with three significant national old traditions: the 1930's post-revolutionary Mexico, the very crucial point for the Mexican girl, the "rite of passage," and the traditional macho man…

The film is a love story through which three main characters are important for the viewer: Andrés, the charming officer, the great orator with the voice so thrilling and so impacting… His wife Catalina divulging how meaningless and insincere his promises are… And Carlos (Jose María de Tavira), the leader of the orchestra, the future of a new Mexico, the rebel, and what Mexico is expecting from her younger men…

The motion picture presents the concept of the long-suffering Mexican woman vanishing here with Catalina as seen powerful of character, efficacious and extreme in having an affair with the man she deeply falls in love, intense in degree to accept whatever she is asked from her lover to carry out…

Her representation of the submissive wife, in a macho world where women are suppressed and their voices not heard, has fallen with her determined and ambivalent character here, as near Carlos, Catalina is another woman who wishes, requests, and desires intensely the enjoyment of her personal liberty and personal efficacy…

The result is a fine rich movie with many captivating visuals of the stunning state of Puebla, and definitely a must-see, at least for the Mexican viewers