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Actualidad de Cine Europeo (Año IV, 2ª etapa, nº13)
Estreno: Reseña de Los Buenos Modales (Marta Díaz de Lope, 2023)
por Sandra Chavarrías
Tras el estreno en la 26ª edición del Festival de Málaga y el éxito que recogió en su tierra natal, la directora Marta Díaz de Lope presentó en los cines el pasado 28 de abril su segundo largometraje Los Buenos Modales, una tragicomedia neocostumbrista que relata desde el humor y el disparate el drama de una familia completamente rota. Cuenta con un reparto constituido casi totalmente por mujeres entre las que se encuentran Elena Irureta, Carmen Flores Sandoval, Gloria Muñoz y Pepa Aniorte, estas dos últimas rescatadas de su anterior y primera película, Mi Querida Cofradía, además de la participación especial de Inma Cuesta.
La película ahonda en la estrategia de Milagros (Carmen Flores Sandoval) y Trini (Pepa Aniorte), dos entrometidas amas de casa y vecinas de toda la vida, de restaurar la relación de dos hermanas, Manuela (Gloria Muñoz) y Rosario (Elena Irureta), cuya relación está completamente rota desde hace años, salpicando su enemistad al resto de la familia. A través de la nueva amistad que entablan los nietos de cada una de las hermanas, se producirá un acercamiento entre ellas que, junto a las maniobras de Milagros y Trini, permitirá profundizar en las causas de ese distanciamiento.
Como afirma su directora, la vida es una tragicomedia y la película es un viaje como el de la vida misma, que te lleva de la risa al drama a través de los personajes de manera orgánica. La película muestra más que los antecedentes, las consecuencias de un distanciamiento entre dos personas fruto de años ejerciendo una dinámica liderada por el orgullo y la falta de comunicación, y cómo esos sentimientos pueden ser tan fuertes hasta el punto de fracturar durante años a una familia entera. En contrapunto a la parte dramática que aporta el conflicto familiar, tenemos las triquiñuelas de Milagros y Trini para organizar encuentros entre las hermanas, que aportan ese toque cómico entre todo el drama, junto al toque inocente y puro que aportan los niños.
Además de lo anteriormente expuesto, Díaz de Lope plasma en su obra la realidad que caracteriza a una generación de mujeres que han dedicado su vida a la labor de criar, cuidar y sostener a su familia, sin la posibilidad de desarrollar otras facetas de su vida, y que, una vez sus hijos han conformando sus propias unidades familiares, se ven relegadas a un segundo plano y, por ende, son condenadas en su vejez a enfrentar la falta de compañía.
En definitiva, la cineasta Marta Díaz de Lope consigue plasmar en la pantalla con absoluto realismo un complejo y cautivador retrato familiar en el que prima la sororidad entre mujeres y el costumbrismo español, manteniendo la atención del espectador de principio a fin y no dejando indiferente a quién lo ve. Sin duda, una obra de cine europeo muy recomendable en la cartelera actual.
Noticias: Finalizada la 20ª edición del festival IndieLisboa – International Independent film festival
por Eva Giménez Pastor
El pasado 7 de mayo se cerró la 20 edición del festival internacional de cine independiente IndieLisboa. En este 2023, ha conseguido récord de películas seleccionadas, con 314 títulos. Todos los años, durante once días, el festival de Lisboa ofrece la posibilidad de exhibir películas independientes de todo el mundo que de otra manera no habrían sido distribuidas por canales de circulación comerciales.
Las once diferentes secciones competitivas del festival incluyen: competición internacional, competición nacional, silvestre, novíssimos, IndieMusic, IndieJunior, retrospectiva, boca do inferno, sessões especiais, director’s cut, y Las Revelaciones del Cine Europeo (Smart7). Dentro de la competición nacional se seleccionaron 25 filmes y la competición internacional se componía de 12 títulos, dos de ellos españoles: Misión a Marte de Amat Vallmajor Del Pozo y Samsara de Lois Patiño.
“Las Revelaciones del Cine Europeo” se trata de una sección compartida por los fundadores de la red de festivales Smart7. Siete películas representantes de cada uno de los siete países recorrerán los respectivos festivales de estos. Además de este, IndieLisboa, los certámenes que le acompañan son el ya finalizado Festival Internacional de Cine de Vilnius Kino Pavasaris (Lituania) seguidos del Festival Internacional de Cine FILMADRID (España), el Festival Internacional de Cine de Transilvania (Rumania), el Festival Internacional de Cine New Horizons (Polonia), el Festival Internacional de Cine de Reikiavik (Islandia), y el Festival Internacional de cine de Thessaloniki (Grecia). Las películas representantes son: Índia, de Telmo Churro (Portugal); Remember to Blink, de Austėja Urbaitė (Lituania); Secaderos, de Rocío Mesa (España); Mammalia, de Sebastian Mihailescu (Rumania); Bread and Salt, de Damian Kocur (Polonia); Mannvirki, de Gústav Geir Bollason (Islandia); y Black Stone, de Spiros Jacovides (Grecia). El objetivo de esta unión es fomentar la circulación transnacional de títulos europeos y el premio de 5.000 euros está dirigido a apoyar a los cineastas emergentes.
Desde el domingo 7 de mayo conocemos a los ganadores de los distintos premios de la competición. Algunos de los galardonados fueron Safe Place de Juraj Lerotić (Gran Premio de Largometraje Ciudad de Lisboa), Suddenly TV de Roopa Gogineni (Gran Premio EMEL Cortometraje), Mal Viver | Viver Mal de João Canijo (Premio al Mejor Largometraje Portugués), y Dildotectónica de Tomás Paula Marques (Premio al Mejor Cortometraje Portugués).
Para conocer el título ganador de la nueva sección de Smart 7 habrá que seguir el recorrido de las películas por los siguientes seis festivales hasta el último del año, el de Thessaloniki, donde se otorgará el premio definitivo, elegido por un jurado compuesto por un estudiante de cada uno de los países fundadores. De momento, la representante española Secaderos, dirigida por Rocío Mesa y rodada en la Vega de Granada, podremos catarla en cines a partir del próximo 2 de junio.
Referencias:
European Commission. (2023, 9 enero). SMART7 – a network of European fresh visions and team empowerment. Funding & tender opportunities (SEDIA). https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/how-to-participate/org-details/999999999/project/101093512/program/43251814/details
IndieLisboa. (2023, 5 abril). IndieLisboa — Festival Internacional de Cinema.
TPN Lusa. (2023, 30 abril). El Festival de Cine IndieLisboa celebra 20 ediciones. The Portugal News. https://www.theportugalnews.com/es/noticias/2023-04-30/indielisboa-film-festival-celebrates-20-editions/77094
Vieira, T. (2023, 17 abril). IndieLisboa celebra su edición número 20 con un número récord de películas seleccionadas. Cineuropa. https://cineuropa.org/es/newsdetail/441245/
European films on Filmin: Avelina Prat’s feature debut, Vasil (2022)
by Zara Traykova
Vasil is a Spanish-Bulgarian co-production that tells the story of how two strangers find a way to connect despite of the cultural and linguistic differences.
Vasil (played by Ivan Barnev) is an intelligent and charismatic chess player that finds himself unable to find shelter in Valencia. Alberto (played by Karra Elejalde), a retired architect, offers him a place to stay. The two of them have nothing in common, they come from different cultural backgrounds and don’t speak the same language. However, the one thing that connects them is their passion for chess and they find a way to bond over the chess table. Alberto’s daughter, Luisa (played by Alexandra Jiménez), is looking forward to helping Vasil and getting to know his culture. She encourages Alberto to be more friendly with him and even learn some Bulgarian.
After making its debut at the Warsaw Film Festival, the film has garnered attention and acclaim. It has since been showcased at esteemed events such as Seminci and the Mostra de Valencia. Currently, the film is available for viewing on the platform Filmin, allowing audiences to enjoy its captivating story.
The film explores human connections, the solidarity of letting someone living in your home and host a homeless person in your home for a while, which does not mean that you will be interested in them. Moreover, Prat gives a dual perspective. On one hand, it offers a critique of Spanish society, revealing its narrow-mindedness and limited worldview, particularly prevalent among the bourgeois class.
And at the same time, the film highlights the universality of human communication, emphasizing that cultural and personal realms often remain unfamiliar, even among closely connected individuals. For instance, there may exist an unexplored European country not too distant geographically, or a father and daughter who share the same blood but are emotionally distant.
Despite the film's surface appearance, Vasil's intention is not to solely criticize prejudices against immigrants. Instead, he portrays each character as an isolated universe grappling with the challenges of establishing genuine connections with others.
Vasil’s character is a reference to the national Bulgarian hero, Vasil Levski, a blond blue-eyes intelligent man who contributed with his wittiness to the liberation movements contra the Ottoman empire. He has a special gift: to transform those people in a good way with whom he relates. Despite their differences, little by little Vasil is able to break the barriers built by Alfredo and get closer to him to express his gratitude.
In the meantime, the film's predominant interior settings and the gentle, warm hues of the visuals work in harmony to establish an intimate atmosphere that resonates with the storyline. This aesthetic choice effectively captures the essence of the narrative, delving into the intricacies and sensitive aspects of human relationships.
References:
Hristova, M. (2022). Review: Vasil. Retrieved from:
https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/432818/
Vasil (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film434432.html
Vasil (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14081736/
News: Almodóvar’s nomination for the Cannes Film Festival with “Strange Way of Life”
by Laura Iris
We are now only a few weeks away from the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most important and critically acclaimed film festivals of the year. Pedro Almodóvar will be presenting his new film “Strange Way of Life”, which will premiere in the Official Selection. This is a big deal, since it is the second English-language work he has done, after his first English-language short “The Human Voice” (2020). Moreover, Almodóvar will not attend the premiere alone, as Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke will be accompanying him throughout the event. The three of them will be participating in a colloquium following the screening.
“Strange Way of Life” was produced by the production company El Deseo, funded by the two Almodóvar brothers, Pedro and Agustín. The two of them have worked together in over forty films, and make a really good team with Pedro on the creative side and Agustín on the production side.
The film appears to be a western drama about two men who resume their relationship after 25 years without seeing each other. The trailer has all the Almodovar’s classic elements: a suspenseful and intense instrumental soundtrack, strident primary colors such as red, green or blue, still shots where the composition of the frame shines, and of course extremely passionate feelings coming from the characters.
As a helpless fan of Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” (2006), when I first saw the trailer I could not help but to think of this classic queer movie. It seemed to me as if the story between Almodovar’s characters played by Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke were a remake of the men from “Brokeback Mountain” who always had the dream of living in a ranch together. In fact, in the last few seconds of Almodovar’s trailer, one can hear the words “years ago you asked me what two men could do living together on a ranch, I’ll answer you now”. However, I thought that this was merely a hypothesis and that I had no way of proving that Almodovar had “Brokeback Mountain” in mind when writing the script for “Strange Way of Life” or that they had anything in common other than being both queer western movies. Still, I did some research, and found the truth.
As it turns out, back in 2005 Almodóvar was asked to direct “Brokeback Mountain”, but Hollywood was not supportive of his vision that the movie had to be approached from the sexual, almost animalistic drive to one another and had to be from start to finish explicitly sexual. In the end the job was given to Ang Lee, but Pedro Almodóvar could not forget about his ambitions to make this movie. Seventeen years later, Almodóvar presents to us his own version of a queer western, “Strange Way of Life”. In an interview, Almodóvar revealed that the film title alludes to “the famous fado by Amalia Rodrigues, whose lyrics suggest that there is no stranger existence than the one that is lived by turning your back on your own desires”.
In a few weeks we will learn the winners of this Film Festival, but for now, we know for sure that the hype is real when it comes to Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life”.
References:
Festival de Cannes. (2023, May 4). The films of the Official Selection 2023 - Festival de Cannes. Festival De Cannes. Retrieved from:
https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/press/press-releases/the-films-of-the-official-selection-2023/
Greenwood, D. (2023, April 26). The trailer just dropped for Pedro Pascal’s “intoxicating” queer western. i-D. Retrieved from:
https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/5d39e8/strange-way-of-life-pedro-almodovar-western-movie
Keslassy, E. (2023, April 11). Pedro Almodovar’s ‘Strange Way of Life’ to World Premiere at Cannes Film Festival. Variety. Retrieved from:
Las películas de Filmin: Libélulas (Luc Knowles, 2022)
por Jara García Ortega
No es la falta de ganas, ni la falta de esfuerzo, es la falta de oportunidades. En una sociedad embaucada por la idea de la meritocracia y del “querer es poder”, Libélulas nos cuenta la realidad que nadie se atreve. No lanza un mensaje esperanzador, sino una crítica a la sociedad actual. Esa en la que parece que ignorar los problemas ajenos y mirar hacia otro lado es la solución a los nuestros. Esta película se estrenó en el Festival de Málaga de 2022 y triunfó tanto en este como en el Festival de Sevilla antes de llegar a las salas de cine el 16 de octubre de 2022.
Drogas, fiestas, muerte y traición. En este ambiente crecen Cata (Milena Smit) y Alex (Olivia Baglivi) dos jóvenes con un único deseo: escapar del barrio. Cata tiene 23 años y la responsabilidad de cuidar a su padre dependiente. Alex tiene 25 años y lucha con los fantasmas de su pasado mientras cuida a su sobrina. Ambas son amigas desde pequeñas y se evaden de la realidad que les ha tocado vivir con drogas y alcohol, pero son conscientes de que esa no es la vida que desean. Aunque la película trata el tema de los excesos no se centra en ello, sino en la complejidad de las relaciones personales.
Libélulas es la ópera prima de Luc Knowles, un director anglo-español que comenzó su carrera dirigiendo videoclips y publicidad. Ha colaborado con algunos cantantes como Fernandocosta y podemos ver cómo ha trasladado a esta película ciertas cuestiones estéticas, más concretamente el “white trash”. Esta se entiende como una tendencia a rechazar la idea del “sueño americano” y mostrar las heridas del pasado que no cicatrizan (Madden, 2018).
Esta película representa la realidad de vivir en un barrio de extrarradio sin romantizarla, simplemente mostrando los hechos y las consecuencias. El director, Luc Knowles, consigue captar la esencia del barrio sin centrarse en ninguno en concreto. Esto hace que cualquier persona que provenga de la periferia pueda sentirse identificada.
En conclusión, el primer largometraje de Luc Knowles relata una cruda realidad que se vive hoy día en muchos barrios donde la precariedad y la desesperación se apodera de los jóvenes y la esperanza se abandona cada vez más. Libélulas es una obra muy humana y emotiva que invita a la reflexión.
Referencias:
Bautista Palacios, G. (6 septiembre de 2022). Milena Smit protagoniza ‘Libélulas’ y se estrena el 16 de septiembre en cines. Hoy Magazine. Recuperado de:
Madden, E. (2018, 23 julio). ¿de qué va exactamente la estética «white trash» de justin bieber y post malone? i-D. Recuperado de:
https://i-d.vice.com/es/article/xwkydz/estetica- white-trash-post-malone-justin-bieber
Peñalver, T. (27 mayo de 2022). “Luc Knowles: No es que se romantice ser 'de calle', sino que se lleva con orgullo"; Alicanteplaza. Recuperado de: https://alicanteplaza.es/luc-knowles-no-es-que-se-romantice-ser-de-calle-sino-que-se-lleva-con-orgullo
Tena, A. (2022, 14 septiembre). Tena, A. (2022, 14 septiembre). “Luc Knowles: Ya hay tres generaciones que han compartido las crisis que hemos tenido”. Cine con Ñ. Recuperado de: https://cineconn.es/luc-knowles-entrevista-director-libelulas-crisis/
European films on Filmin: O corpo aberto (Ángeles Huerta, 2022).
by Cristina Teresa Diaz
O Corpo Aberto is the second film of Ángeles Huerta, premiered in 2022. It is a horror film that tributes to Galician legends and small villages, as well as rural life in early XX century Northern Spain.
We follow the story of Miguel (Tamar Novas), who is sent to a little town on the frontier between Spain and Portugal as a teacher for the kids of the town. He is represented as opposed to the rural habitants: a man of science and reason, while the villagers still have to use their physical strength in their day-to-day lives and believe in their own mythology, which for Miguel is an outdated way of living that he does not understand.
The film tries to present and give importance to each one of the villagers, giving them their own time on screen and their own peculiarities, but in one hour and a half it is difficult to manage the time for such a big cast and ends up being somewhat confusing for the spectator. Also, a lot of things are trying to be said and they end up just as little commentaries a character makes with little or no development during the rest of the film, most of them related to women’s position in rural areas and how women were treated during the XIX and early XX century. All of this makes the narration confusing, but that can also be taken as a good thing for the film. Because the film tries to confuse us.
When Miguel arrives and truly discovers the way the villagers live, he dislikes it a lot as it is something that he does not understand, and us, as the people following Miguel, are also disoriented. The editing gives more value to this, as in some moments the shots are sharply cutted without the action having ended and the next shot happens some seconds later than the previous one, making a distortion in the sense of time.
All in all, O Corpo Aberto is an interesting film with a lot of aspirations of which it does not have time to develop at all, making some moments of the film disconcerting because it seems to have no clear point where it wants to arrive. Anyway, it is still something to be grateful to watch on a free afternoon as it is easy to feel the love that was put into it, mostly into its female characters.
News: 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF)
by Petra Kalecka
This year, from the 30th June to 8th July, you can attend 57th year of Czech film festival in Karlovy Vary. The festival is annualy the biggest film related event in Czech Republic and the most prestigious film festival in Central and Eastern Europe, usually with attendance of over 10 000 people per year. The festival offers screenings of approximately 200 movies every year coming from the whole world. Many of the movies have its premiere in the Czech Republic, others come to KVIFF from other big festivals like Cannes or Berlinale.
KVIFF offers many programme sections. The most important one is the Crystal Globe Competition, “a non-specialized international competition of feature-length fiction and documentary films presented as world or international premiers”. Other sections are for example Horizons, Imagina, Pragueshorts at KVIFF, or Proxima Competition which focuses on “the world’s new voices from the vast cinematic spectrum”. In 2023, section Future Frames “is entering a new era thanks to” new partnership which will make sure even bigger opportunities are provided to “emerging talented European directors” and film students and graduates “launch their careers in the film industry”.
From the newest information about the upcoming festival we know the Tribute section will invite us into the mind of Japanese filmmaker Yasuzo Masumura. Other than that, we can look forward to other tributes, usually at least one dedicated to big Czech name like Jan Svěrák or Eva Zaoralová from last year.
Worldwide celebrities also find their way to the red carpet in front of the main building of the festival, Spa Hotel Thermal. So far we know Russell Crowe will come to the Czech Republic, but the list has already included Geoffrey Rush from last year, Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Willem Dafoe or Uma Thurman. It is safe to say this year will we will welcome another important names to the long list and with that offer screenings of some of their movies.