I hope that, like me, you’re interested in cinema from Spain and Latin America. If not, you’re missing some great stories as well as the opportunity to travel to territories that might feel as foreign as those traveled by Cooper and Co. in Interstellar (Don’t miss it!) We certainly have some agujeros negros (black holes) to show you in Spanish speaking cinema. The following three películas are must-sees among films produced in Spain.
1. The classic: The Holy Innocents (Los santos inocentes) Mario Camus, 1984
Mario Camus is a legendary Spanish film director. This film is based on the novel of the same title written by the beloved novelist, Miguel Delibes. Delibes and Camus tell the story of a dark age when impoverished peasants lived almost like slaves to land owners in the remote countryside of Spain. The film is moving, tender, painful many times, poetic and honest. Actor Paco Rabal and actress Terele Pavez are two major figures in Spanish film.
2. A personal favorite: The Sea Inside (Mar adentro) Alejandro Amenábar, 2004
Amenábar is a child prodigy of the Spanish film industry. His final project at film school was the extremely entertaining and very scary, Tesis. Then came Abre los ojos, Los otros and Mar adentro. Last summer I watched it again in a class and was as moved as the first time. It is based on the true story of Ramón Sampedro an advocate of euthanasia bedridden since a young age. The film is set in Galicia, in the north west region of Spain, an Irish looking region you might not know that you will very soon love. Amenábar not only directs, but he also writes the script and the music of his films. Our most international star, Javier Bardem, does an amazing job as Sampedro.
3. The blockbuster: Spanish Affair (Ocho apellidos vascos) Emilio Martínez Lázaro, 2014
I haven’t seen this one, but everybody has been talking about it in the past months because Ocho apellidos vascos has become the most-seen Spanish movie ever. It seems to be extremely funny, its humor based on the portrayal of stereotypes of Spaniards from the north (País Vasco) and the south (Sevilla) of Spain. Its critics say that the brushstrokes are too coarse. Its male protagonist, Dani Rovira, has become a star. A sequeI is in the pre-production stage. I’ll go see it as soon as it comes to the US, initially planned for March 14, 2015.
