Tag: spain

Is this what the end of the world feels like? “Sirāt” (2025)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Óliver Laxe
© 2025 BTeam Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

When I heard of this film, I was sure it’s a family drama that may turn into a crime story or thriller. Obviously, I hadn’t seen any trailer (as always), so I entered the world of “Sirāt” totally unaware. Would I watch it again? No. But am I glad I had a chance to experience it? Definitely yes. At the beginning, we get to know Luis (Sergi López), a father of two. His older daughter has disappeared and the man cannot contact her anyhow. That is why he decides to travel to Morocco with his younger child Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona) and search for the missing girl. They meet people raving and enjoying electronic music there, and at some point Luis is told about another big raving party in a dessert, where he might actually find his daughter. Even though the journey to that dessert is difficult, the man and the boy are determined to give it a try. They join a group of ravers and hope for a happy ending. Will it be happy? It’s for you to see. I have to say I was reflecting on this film for a long time. The story itself isn’t anyhow complicated, but the hidden messages are quite hard to understand. At least while watching. I needed to think about it all for a day or two to create my own interpretation. There won’t be any spoilers here, at least not any significant ones: I’m mostly focused on the differences between Luis and the ravers. The man is terrified and hopeful to find his missing child, and he doesn’t agree to accept she might not want to be found or she might not be with us anymore. He wants to achieve his goal and nothing can stop him. The ravers, however, adapt to life in their own way – they might not be achieving their goals, but they focus on themselves and the present. Seems like a great way to live, right? Well, while watching the film I felt the director shows us those two opposite approaches to life in order to make us come to a conclusion that perhaps it’s good to compromise. Maybe something in the middle of the scale is the right choice. If I could say what this film is about in one word, to me it’s about balance. We need balance in our lives not to lose ourselves and cross the line, even unconsciously. But I was reading some reviews of this story and I feel like each person has a different reflection, which is amazing. It means this film is of good quality and different people might find something for themselves there. I encourage you to check it out as well.

My rating: 7/10
S.

We must obey the Law. Always. Without exception. “The Platform 2” (“El hoyo 2”, 2024)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
© 2024 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

How thrilled I was when I noticed that there’s “The Platfrom 2” on Netflix. When I think of sci-fi productions that I like, I always remember the first part of this story. I’m not that much into spaceships and creatures with big heads speaking some unknown language, but instead I just adore when the film makes me question human nature. For those who haven’t seen the first part, I highly recommend you to see them in the right order, because if you see the 2nd film, you might not feel that excited about the mystery of the first one. So, I assume that if you’re reading this, you’ve already seen “The Platform” numero uno, because I’m about to share a few words about the 2nd part. Here, we’re beginning already knowing what the idea of this strange place – it’s a prison with 333 floors, on each floor we have two random people and each month they are rearranged to new floors. Just like in the first part, there’s still that damn hole in the middle and the prisoners can find food on the moving platform. However, since the people there are already used to this environment, we get to observe two social groups – those who follow the rules and those who don’t. The rules are simple – no matter which floor you’re at, you only eat the dish you ordered before entering. However, if someone else has eaten your dish, you’re not allowed to eat anything else – this way the loyalists believe one day everyone will learn and obey the Law. Sounds lovely, but it can be quite frustrating to follow the rules and keep starving because of those who don’t care about them. In such circumstances, patience is very much limited. I’m actually glad the producers didn’t repeat the same story just with different characters – they kind of presented the follow-up in the same environment. Personally, I’m a huge fan of this idea, because it’s simple and lets us observe another process taking place in the prison. I know such platform seems abstract, yet both films say a lot about humans in society. No matter what rules you make, no matter how hard you try to be fair, in the end, each person cares mostly about themselves. Sooner or later, they put themselves first, especially if others don’t care to cooperate. Another thing that I find an unfortunate lesson about humans is that the moment we reach the top, we immediately want to get revenge and do everything we couldn’t do before, just 3 times more intensively. Just like in this prison – if after a month of being on one of the lowest levels you’re reassigned to one of the highest, you eat whatever you want – just like those people above you the previous month. Who cares that this time someone else is starving down there, right? Hard to imagine the same processes in our real life, but if you analyse it, we really live together and care only about our own self. That’s it. And that’s why I appreciate such productions – for feeding my lack of hope for humanity as a collective. Sad summary, but this film is worth seeing, so go for it.

My rating: 6.5/10
S.

Always take the first taxi. “Life on a Thread” (“La vida en un hilo”, 1945)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Edgar Neville
© 1945 E. Neville. All Rights Reserved.

Do you sometimes wish you were born in different times? Same here. That’s why I love watching old films imagining I’m one of the characters and it brings me pure joy. And today, I’d like to recommend you a wonderful comedy from Spain, which is probably one of the most adorable love/life stories I’ve seen. We get to know Mercedes (Conchita Montes), a gorgeous lady who’s just become a widow and is currently travelling to Madrid to reunite with her family. On the train, she meets a psychic who encourages her to talk about love life. The widow admits that even though she loved her husband, it wasn’t a perfect relationship. Then, the psychic reminds her companion about the time when she met her husband, and at the same time, rejected another man. Everything happened next to a flower shop, where Mercedes was waiting for a taxi and refused going with one man, yet later agreed to join another one – Ramón (Guillermo Marín), her future husband, about which she obviously had no idea. The psychic wants Mercedes to imagine what if she had taken a taxi with the first man – Miguel (Rafael Durán). And this is exactly what we see in the film – both ladies are imagining another life scenario of Mercedes, comparing it to the one she had with Ramón, who was a rather boring and way too serious person for Mercedes, while Miguel was an artist with a lot of abstract ideas and never-ending charisma. Even though this film is about 80 years old now, I was absolutely amused by its humour and impressed by the way they managed to tell the story in such engaging way. The actors are marvellous, especially when Mercedes is interacting with Miguel. To me, they share the best kind of vibes as a couple. There’s excitement, sarcasm, but also dedication, fascination and faithfulness. They are two adults who know when to wake up their inner children – and if that’s not the perfect relationship recipe, I have no idea what is. And please, don’t say “money” – let’s not ruin this beautiful picture. What I also appreciate in this film is that it shows how our decisions influence our life. If Mercedes has said “yes” to Miguel offering her a lift, she would have enjoyed her marriage life much more than with Ramón. However, we never know, so perhaps if that had happened, she and Miguel wouldn’t have had such a great connection the whole time. Maybe sometimes all the unfortunate things that happen are supposed to happen, so something way better can surprise us a bit later? Anyway, adorable comedy with a pinch of romance reminding us to say “yes” more often.

My rating: 8/10
S.

Dreaming is for losers. “Voyage to Nowhere” (“El viaje a ninguna parte”, 1986)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Fernando Fernán Gómez
© 1986 Ganesh Producciones Cinematográficas. All Rights Reserved.

You know how much I love cinema, yet you probably don’t know that my first love was actually theatre. Today’s recommendation is rather personal and while watching I was just trying not to fall from this emotional rollercoaster. We’re following a group of Spanish comedians constantly travelling from town to town and performing for locals. You can tell they are passionate about acting and entertaining people, even though they don’t really get paid well and their life is quite unstable. What’s more, all that is taking place in the 40s/50s, when the whole cinematographic revolution was starting, so people were obviously more fascinated by the blinky blinky on the screen than well-known and slightly obsolete gags from homeless actors. All that is being presented from the perspective of the group leader, Carlos Galván (José Sacristán), who’s now an elderly man remembering his life. At first it seems like an adorable and cheerful story about poor actors trying to survive doing what they love, yet who don’t forget about the importance of their profession. But the longer you’re watching, the more depressing it becomes. First, the guys are truly passionate about what they’re doing, but no matter how badly they wish to perform, people just lose interest. Which is such a dream killer, if you ask me. Second, we also get to know the son of Carlos, who suddenly joins the group and who’s like a penguin in Africa – not really fitting. In my eyes, he’s representing another generation (and generally new generations that keep appearing) who’s got different values, different ideas, and often want to stay away from what their ancestors believed in. Personally, I absolutely get it and support, but sometimes we cut off too fast, you know? We forget to learn on their mistakes and we end up wasting time making the same ones. Plus, this new generation is presented as if they were totally hopeless and deprived of dreams. Which is horribly sad. And yet, when you think it can’t hit you any more, the ending happens and you find yourself sitting, staring at an empty wall and questioning the meaning of life. Okay, that sounded heavy. Well, it’s not an easy film, that’s a fact. Maybe the story itself is simple, but what comes after watching is a real challenge. That’s why I recommend you to see it, but choose a day when you’re mentally ready for a long reflection.

My rating: 7/10
S.

It’s never going to be good. “Plácido” (1961)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Luis García Berlanga
© 1961 Jet Films. All Rights Reserved.

For those who celebrate Christmas, as well as those who don’t – I bet you know it’s coming. So I’ve decided to recommend you a film which is set during one Christmas, but if you’re expecting a sugar-sweet production full of lights and happy songs, then I’m sorry. I’m writing about it way before Christmas on purpose, because I feel it presents something we should remember all year round and perhaps it’d be nice to remind ourselves about it before the end of the year. Today I’m taking you back in time to a small Spanish town. There, a group of religious ladies propose an unusual event – they encourage wealthy citizens to invite poor ones to their houses for Christmas. And then a big mess begins as old Spanish cinema is actually very loud, full of people, with lots of conversations (very fast ones, you have to be a fast subtitles reader or just speak Spanish, no other way), too many characters to recognise and as if someone mixed two scripts into one. That’s how I personally see old Spanish cinema. But it has its charm, I have to admit that. Anyway, back to the film. The title comes from the name of one character (played by Cassen), who is actually more of a distraction. Because, in my opinion, the main idea is hidden in the background. We can observe how the rich make use of even such ordinary and human action as feeding the poor. And how the poor cannot really get on with the rich, no matter how hard we try to mix them all. Maybe it’s not a must-see production, but if you like black comedies which leave you with an existential crisis, then here you go. I guess the most depressing is that this film was made 80 years ago and we still treat each other the same way. As if humanity was programmed to be selfish and self-centred. Call me a film-masochist, but sometimes I enjoy watching such productions as they remind me of the reality from which I often run away watching other films. But I have three things to encourage you. Uno – José Luis López Vázquez plays in this film and he’s one of my favourite Spanish actors from the previous century. Dos – this film was one of the five productions nominated to win Best Foreign Language Film award in 1961 (lost to Bergman, duh!). Tres – you can play a drinking game while watching. Each time you hear the name “Antonia”, take a shot. You can thank me later.

My rating: 6/10
S.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. “One Careful Owner” (2020)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Bernabé Rico
© 2020 Filmax. All Rights Reserved.

Everyday we meet lots of people and we’re not even aware of the fact that one they that random someone may become a very important person to us. Today I have an adorable story about a unique friendship between two ladies, who seemed to have nothing in common. But just at first. Sara (Juana Acosta) is a young woman searching for a perfect flat, and when she finds it, there’s just a small issue to deal with. Lola (Kiti Mánver) in an elderly lady living in that flat and Sara may move in when Lola dies. At first Sara and Lola don’t seem to like each other as they have totally different characters, but at some point they realise that they can actually help each other very much. It’s a calm comedy with a lot of dark humour and sarcasm, mostly coming from Lola, who doesn’t take her situation that seriously. But there’s also Sara, who has a lot to give and share, but she seems to be trapped in her own mind. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of films about unusual friendships and maybe this one isn’t anyhow unique, but it’s still very pleasant. I had a very nice evening watching both ladies and I hope it will also make your day. Besides, it’s a nice reminder that intergenerational friendships can be very meaningful and important for us all.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Physical appearance is nothing. “Skins” (“Pieles”, 2017)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Eduardo Casanova
© 2017 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

Before I get to the plot, I need to tell you a bit about myself. I’m this kind of person who cannot appreciate the film only for its form. Yes, it’s an important part of my final rating, yet the most significant for me is the story. And when I played “Skins”, I thought that it’s another visually controversial or weird production with not much sense, unless you’re the filmmaker who knows what he or she had in mind. How wrong I was… This film has sucked me into its world in the first few minutes. I mean it. It was strange and I didn’t really know what to expect (I hadn’t seen any trailers) but I also couldn’t look away. And it’s incredibly difficult for me to tell you what it’s about, to be honest. We get to meet several people, most of whom have some kind of visible deformation or/and are insecure about their own body. And all of them are searching for acceptance, sometimes affection or even love. You may think that certain deformations in this film are ridiculous (for example one woman has an anus instead of her mouth), but what’s very interesting is the fact that people with those rather fictional deformations are presented together with people who have rather “usual” ones. What I mean by “usual” deformations? For example damaged skin after a fire or dwarfism, to which we’ve got used to because there are many people whose bodies look like that. And it’s not all. There’s also one character who doesn’t accept his legs because he believes he’s a mermaid and there should be a tail instead. Or there’s a woman who’s simply heavily obese. So each person presented in the film is a totally different story, yet they have something in common – they are not “normal”, as if most people should call them. The filmmakers made a production that deals with our perception of “normality” and tries to show how we destroy each other by following some absurd standards. What’s a standard, anyway? It should be a standard to accept people as they are. Period. And this film is honestly visually beautiful and still has a lot of important messages for you, so find time to see it.

My rating: 7/10
S.

You choose to be alone. “Viridiana” (1961)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Luis Buñuel
© 1961 Films Sans Frontières. All Rights Reserved.

I’m sometimes worried when I’m writing about some big classics, which film critics interpret over and over, because I’m afraid of two things. First, if I get too deep into explaining the film, its metaphors and symbolism, those of you who aren’t much interested in film interpretation would simply stop reading or fall asleep. Second, if I don’t try to analyse the film even a bit, those of you who take cinema more seriously would feel disappointed. But the point of this site is to share interesting titles and encourage you to keep discovering the beauty of the world cinema. I’m not here to educate or to interpret films, so with all the respect to Buñuel’s creativity and intentions, I’ll skip a lecture about symbols and all that. I’ll just tell you what “Viridiana” is generally about and I’ll let you discover it better on your own. So as you might be guessing, the main character is named Viridiana (Silvia Pinal), who’s a young nun going to take her final vows. Before that, she gets an invitation from her only living relative, uncle Don Jaime (Fernando Rey). When Viridiana visits her uncle, the man is incredibly shocked about her resemblance to his deceased wife. Thankful for hosting her, Viridiana is ready to do everything for Don Jaime. Literally everything. So she doesn’t withhold too long when the man wants to see Viridiana… in his wife’s wedding gown. And here I stop, so you can see what happens next yourselves. Luis Buñuel is one of the most significant filmmakers in Spanish cinema, so if you haven’t seen anything by him, I definitely recommend you to see “Viridiana”. His style is very specific, very abstract, so it’s quite difficult to understand his productions after just watching them once. It’s one of those filmmakers you need to study to understand well. It’s worth it, because he shared a lot of interesting messages hidden in his films, but I know it’s not for everyone. Still, “Viridiana” is known as one of his “most understandable films” and I’m sure that even if you’re not a huge film geek, you’ll see what he did there. I definitely like this production for the camerawork and editing, for the main actress – Silvia Pinal, and also for the dinner scene and the ending, which both are full of food for thought and they could be a good topic for a film club meeting. Try to see this Spanish classic and find something for yourself to admire.

My rating: 7.5/10
S.

Stockings over mustache! “My Dearest Senorita” (“Mi querida señorita”, 1972)

Sash2 Comments
directed by Jaime de Armiñán
© 1972 In-Cine Distribuidora Cinematográfica S.A. All Rights Reserved.

Today I’m taking you to Spain, where you’ll learn about a very interesting señorita. Her name is Adela (José Luis López Vázquez) and she’s a 43-year-old single woman living on her own. Since she doesn’t have any family nor actual job, she spends her days sewing or just killing time in other typical for her age ways. The only person that she sees regularly is her maid Isabelita (Julieta Serrano), a young woman who absolutely adores Adela. One day, Adela meets a man who’s very much interested in staying in touch with her. In quite literal touch. The woman, however, doesn’t find him attractive at all and is even disgusted about the idea of being too close to him. She decides to see a doctor to find out whether there’s something wrong with her. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Adela, she just finds out that she’s not a woman. From now on Adela, or as she starts calling herself – Juan, needs to get used to this new reality. Which obviously won’t be that easy. Perhaps it sounds like a quite ridiculous story, but it’s definitely not a shoddy production. In fact, it’s a very adorable way of presenting the topic of sex change and some people’s sexual orientation which might be different from what is being taught during biology classes. Personally, I’m a fan of black comedies, I find them entertaining and always with some hidden message. Besides, José Luis López Vázquez, the actor who played Adela/Juan, did a marvellous job and his performance is still significant in Spanish cinema. Especially since back then such character and such story were very controversial. Sometimes it’s good to think outside the box to become history.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Her name means “tomorrow”. “Thi Mai (Rumbo a Vietnam)” (2018)

Sash1 Comment
directed by Patricia Ferreira
© 2018 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

Today, I have a really sweet film for you. Perhaps some may think it’s a silly comedy and super cliché, but I enjoyed it and I think the topics that are mentioned in the story are significant, at least for me. We meet three middle-aged women, Carmen (Carmen Machi), Rosa (Adriana Ozores) and Elvira (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón). Elvira has just got fired because, apparently, being over 40 years old is too much for some companies. She’s incredibly frustrated about it. Rosa doesn’t work anywhere, she’s the wife of her wealthy husband, who controls her way too much. And Carmen is a strong and smart woman, who runs a shop with her husband. When her two friends visit the shop, the woman gets horrible news. Her daughter died. Carmen is obviously devastated and depressed, but soon after the funeral she finds out that her daughter was about to become a mother. However, surprise surprise, her child is already born and it’s an adorable Vietnamese girl named Thi Mai. When Carmen learns that Thi Mai was officially approved as her granddaughter, the woman decides to go to Vietnam and take the girl away. Obviously, her two best friends go with her. Unfortunately, adopting the girl by her would-be grandmother isn’t that easy, so Carmen has to come up with an idea to get back to Spain with Thi Mai. And yes, after some time you already know how it’ll all end, but I was still moved by this story. Firstly, it’s an interesting way of showing a mother who’s lost her child and who’s trying to manage her life. Secondly, I loved how the character of Carmen felt responsible for the girl. She’s not even her biological grandchild and yet she didn’t leave her. And I guess that’s why I recommend you this film. Because I’d like to share such point of view. Having a child is a huge responsibility and they should feel loved, no matter whether they’re adopted or not. Be like Carmen, be a grown-up of the 21st century!

My rating: 6/10
S.