Dicatado / Childish Games - Trailer and Synopsis

In Dictado* (English title Childish Games), the latest film from Spanish director Antonio Chavarrías (Las vidas de Celia/ The Lives of Celia 2006,  Volverás / You'll Be Back 2002), Juan Diego Botto and Bárbara Lennie play Daniel and Laura, a childless couple confronted by an unusual situation after Mario, a childhood friend of Daniel's, turns up out of the blue acting strangely and wanting them to come with him to meet his 7 year-old child, Julia. Daniel manages to get rid of him, but he is obviously distressed by the encounter. That night Mario takes his own life in front of his daughter.

When the couple reads of Mario’s suicide in the newspaper the next day, Laura convinces Daniel they should attend the funeral. There, they meet Julia (Mágica Pérez) and learn that with her father's death she has become an orphan. A social worker explains that they have not been able to find any family members. At Laura's insistence, Daniel eventually agrees to taking the child into their home temporarily, despite his discomfort not only with the circumstances, but also with Laura's excessive enthusiasm at playing the role of mother. The tension builds as Laura tries to help Julia regain the will to live and Daniel begins to feel increasingly threatened by some of the young girl's behaviors, which are awakening memories of a terrible past involving Mario and his sister Clara -- a past that he thought he had put behind him.

The film has received mixed reviews in Spain. On the positive side, it has been compared favorably by some critics to well known suspense films, including Hitchcock's Vertigo. However, most critiques I have read end up with complaints about a lack of chills. I saw the movie recently and while I wouldn't call it great, I thoroughly enjoyed it and found the number of frights sufficient -- but then maybe I have a lower chill threshold than people who watch movies for a living.

*The title Dictado is the name of a children's song Daniel hears both Julia and Clara sing.

Cross posted at Carloz Newsvine. Comments accepted there.

Among Wolves: Director's Personal Tale Of Search For Man Who Grew Up In The Wild As Intriguing As His Film

EntreLobos (AmongWolves), the excellent new movie by Spanish director Gerardo Olivares, tells the remarkable story of a poor country boy named Marcos, who at the age of 7 is handed over to his father's employer, a rich landowner, who in turn delivers him to a life of labor with a hermitic goatherd in an isolated valley. The old man, who lives in a cave, is unused to human company and at first seems not very interested in having a live-in apprentice. The boy, who was abused by his parents, is frightened and equally aloof initially. Despite this, the shepherd begins teaching Marcos how to herd the goats, as well as how to care for himself and how to survive in the wilderness by trapping and fishing.

The two develop an affection for each other, and the boy befriends the goatherd's animal companions: a ferret, a civet, and an owl. Unfortunately, the goatherd soon becomes ill and dies, leaving Marcos to fend for himself. For the next twelve years he has virtually no contact with human beings, but does make additional animal friends - the wolves of a nearby den.

This beautiful film is based on the incredible experiences of Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja, who lived alone in the Sierra Morena mountains from 1953 to 1965, when he was captured by members of Spain's Guardia Civil and returned to civilization at 19 years of age. But there's another intriguing narrative connected to all of this: the story of how the director found his hero.

According to a post on Olivares' blog, he came across the story in January 2007, after reading in a newspaper about a girl who spent twenty years lost in the Cambodian jungle. The article contained the web address www.feralchildren.com, a site with more accounts of children who grew up with animals. Being in the story telling business, Olivares clicked on the link thinking it might be a good place to find an interesting tale.

There he found more than 100 documented cases of children who were either confined by their parents, abandoned, or lost in the wild, but who lived thanks to their instinct for survival. These reports included that of 7 year old Traian Caldaro, a Romanian boy who hid in the mountains of Transylvania for three years in order to escape an abusive home, and the story of Reverend Joseph Singh, a missionary in India who discovered feral twin girls living with a pack of wolves in the jungle.

Olivares was reading through the histories on the list when he noticed a Spanish name, Marcos Pantoja, followed by the location Sierra Morena, Spain. Sensing that a good story might be hiding behind these details, he clicked over to a page full of information that he soon realized contained the perfect ingredients for a movie script.

Olivares says that when he finished reading the report, he put his head in his hands, and hoped Pantoja was still alive. If the information was correct, he would have been 62 years old.

He saw a small black and white photo on the top right hand side of the page, and below that a box with the words "Learn more about Marcos Pantoja at ..." and the title of a book: "Marcos: Wild Child of the Sierra Morena." He clicked and found the name of the author, Gabriel Janer Manila, the publisher, Prometheus Books, and a link to purchase it. He ordered a second-hand copy for $6 from a bookstore in Portland, Oregon, then typed the name of Marcos Pantoja in Google, but nothing came up. Next he tried entering the name of the book's author, and found him listed as a professor of anthropology and sociology at the University of the Balearic Islands. He sent the professor an email asking if they could meet, and received a reply a few days later inviting Olivares to come to his office in Palma de Mallorca.

The meeting with Dr. Manila shored up the amazing details of the story, supported by the anthropologist's doctoral thesis, the subsequently published book, and the fact that British playwright Kevin Lewis had written a play called Marcos, about the young man's social reintegration process.

Nevertheless, as incredible as the tale was, it had seemed to have fallen into oblivion. Not only was there not much of a trace on the web, but Dr. Manila had not heard any news of Pantoja for 15 years, and thought he might be dead. "Gerard, Marcos was a very fragile man who suffered much, so do not be surprised if his life has ended tragically," he told the director.

A few weeks later Olivares was sitting in the office of the mayor of Añora, the town where Pantoja was born. The mayor had never heard his story, and initially had difficulty believing it. However, she did a little research and came up with his birth certificate, the address of the house where he had been born and even a family member, who told Olivares that the last time she had heard of her cousin had been 13 years earlier. At that time he was living in a cave near Alhaurín, in the Andalusian province of Malaga. She had gone to look for him, but could not find him and was told by someone who worked in a bar he frequented that he had not been seen around there in a while.

Olivares worried that perhaps like the cousin he had reached a dead end in his search – but he was not ready to give up. He was planning to continue his research by visiting Alhaurín when his producer José María Morales suggested hiring a private detective.

Apparently Morales knew a woman who had recently hired an investigator to find out if her husband was having an affair, and within 24 hours of doing so was presented with photographs of him in a compromising situation. Olivares thought, "Why not," called the detective, and gave him the pertinent information. Later that same night he received a call telling him not to bother going to Alhaurín because Pantoja was living in the town of Orense, in the region of Galica - and here was his phone number. Olivares says that he was so thrilled by the news that when he hung up the phone his hands were shaking.

Here is a translation of his description of what happened when he called the number:

The phone rang several times before someone with a Galician accent answered on the other end. I introduced myself and asked if Marcos, the man who was isolated in the Sierra Morena for 12 years, lived there. The man was silent for a few seconds before answering.

"Yes, he lives here, but what do you want?

I explained in detail that after discovering his story I had spent almost a year looking for him, about Gabriel the anthropologist, about visiting his house in Añora, and that there were family members who wanted to know how he was.

"I don't know if he will want to talk to you, but call back in ten minutes."

I didn't wait even three minutes before calling back, I was so anxious to talk to Marcos.

"Hellooooooooo!"

It was him, and on hearing his voice at last, I choked up. I felt a lump in my throat and could hardly speak.

"Hello paisano, I've spent nearly a year looking for you ... Finally I've found you."
Marcos let out a laugh.

"I've met some of your family who have also been trying to find you..."

He was silent and then replied:

"Well, my life has been hard..."

"I know. I'd like to meet you and talk at length."

"Then come around here, I live in... But how did you find me?"

"Tomorrow I can tell you the whole story in person, if it's not inconvenient"

"Tomorrow? Okay, no problem for me."

I hung up the phone and sat in silence, just smiling for a while. The next day, I was finally going to meet Marcos.

Ten months had passed since Olivares had first read about the little Spanish boy who found himself alone in the wild and survived thanks to the lessons of a destitute goatherd and the friendship of wolves. Over the next two years Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja cooperated with the director on the filming of his fascinating story. He appears in the last scene of the movie, as himself - happily playing with a wolf on a mountainside.

EntreLobos (Among Wolves), 2010, written and directed by Gerardo Olivares, starring Juan José Ballesta, Carlos Bardem, and Manuel Camacho. Music by Klaus Bedelt and Andrew Reiher.

Cross posted at Carloz Newsvine. Comments accepted there.

A Gothic Fable: "El Laberinto del Fauno" ("Pan's Labyrinth")

2006's “El Laberinto del Fauno” (“Pan's Labyrinth”*), written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, is quite simply one of the best films of recent years. Fantastic in terms of genre and quality, this Mexican-Spanish production depicts the phantasmagoric adventures of Ophelia (Ivana Baquero), a 13-year-old girl in 1944 Spain -- five years after the official end of the civil war, but a time when guerrilla warfare was still being waged.

The movie opens with the narration of a brief fairy tale about a princess from an underground land who escapes to the earth's surface. This is followed by scenes of Ophelia and her widowed, pregnant mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), traveling to a village in Northwestern Spain to live with the new man in their lives, Vidal (Sergi López). Vidal is a cruel captain in dictator Franco's army, who is stationed with his men in the town in order to wipe out the vestiges of republican resistance fighters hiding in the mountains. While he is happy to welcome his expectant wife, Vidal shows little interest in or affection for stepdaughter. However, Ophelia strikes up a friendly relationship with the kindly housekeeper, Mercedes (Maribel Verdú), and the sympathetic local doctor (Alex Angulo), and soon discovers that the two of them are aiding the resistance fighters.

Ophelia, who enjoys reading fantasies, one day comes upon a walking-stick insect and follows it to the ruins of a labyrinth. Later that night the insect appears in her bedroom, where it turns into a fairy before leading her back to the labyrinth. This time she she meets a strange looking creature there, a faun (Doug Jones), who tells Ophelia that he believes she is in reality the princess from the narrative that opened the film, the last of her royal line, and that he and other creatures of her magical kingdom have been waiting for her return. He explains that in order to re-enter her realm, she must pass three challenges before the next full moon. As the viewer follows Ophelia on the quests the faun has set for her, a wonderful fantasy world combines with the harsh reality of the era to create a tale full of adventure and emotion that weaves its way towards a deadly, but lovely, climax.

The film, which won numerous awards, is in my opinion technically and artistically flawless. The costumes, make up and sets are out of this world. The music is hauntingly memorable. Ivana Baquero, the young actress who carries the movie as Ophelia, turns in a perfect performance. Sergi López embodies the evils of the military in a dictatorship through his portrayal of the vile Captain Vidal. Maribel Verdú is admirable and touching as the servant/spy, and the other supporting cast members all give excellent performances, as well.

If you have not seen “El Laberinto del Fauno,” I hope that one day you get a chance to experience this exquisite film, which not only suceeds as an intriguing fantasy, fable, adventure, and thriller, but also a moving homage to those who defied fascism in some of the darkest years of the 20th century.

Disfrutadlo amig@s,

Carloz

* The title translates literally as, "The Labyrinth of the Faun," but was released in English speaking countries as, “Pan's Labyrinth”, despite del Toro's saying that the character of the faun had nothing to do with the creature from Greek mythology.

Three to look for from Spain in 09: Amenábar, Almodóvar and Viscarret

2009 is looking good for the Spanish film industry with works from two of Spain's best directors set to be released later this year, and a major documentary already out. Agora, directed by Alejandro Amenábar, is slated to come out in September, while Los Abrazos Rotos, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, is scheduled for March. Meanwhile, El Canto del Loco: La película, by director Félix Viscarret, is currently playing in theaters throughout Spain.

Agora, filmed in English, is an adventure set in Roman Egypt. Rachel Weisz stars as as the legendary philosopher and astronomer Hypatia, an atheist dealing with the rise of Christianity and trying to save the Library of Alexandria from turmoil in the city. Throw in the love of a Christian-convert slave (Max Minghella), and it sounds like a tumultuous mix.

This is Amenábar's first movie since he won an Academy Award for Mar adentro (The Sea Inside) in 2004. Although his first English language film, 2001's The Others, may not have won an Oscar, I am sure most people reading this will be familiar with that world-wide box office hit. Let's see, 2001, 2004, 2009 -- I hope we don't have to wait another 4 or 5 years for his next Spanish language film!

Well, Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces) is in Spanish, as always with Almodóvar -- who thankfully is a much more prolific filmmaker. This one stars Penélope Cruz as an actress having personal difficulties during the filming of her latest movie. It is, reportedly, a movie within a movie.

In fact, one might say it has echos of Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), and not only because the director is using some of the same sets he used in that film. In addition, three of the cast from the 1988 comedy, Rossy de Palma, Chus Lampreave and Kiti Manver, have parts in this new production. Plus the story has Cruz' character busy making a comedy called "Chicas y Maletas" ("Gals and Suitcases"), with a story line that reportedly resembles the earlier film. And figuring prominently on one set, that of a screenwriter's office, will be the poster pictured above, "Mujer con pistola." Look familiar?

Almodóvar has said that Los Abrazos Rotos is a drama and also a thriller; that is has a film noir feel but also elements of comedy; that it is set in the 90s as well as the present day, but has a 50s feel; and that its characters are involved in the worlds of cinema and business, but that it is not about the worlds of cinema or business. Another tumultuous mix?

Finally, a film that was released this January definitely has a lot of tumult -- the "rockumentary" El Canto del Loco: La pelicula. (The Song of the Mad: The film.) While this movie includes plenty of scenes of the immensely popular Spanish rock band El Canto del Loco in concert, in interviews, and on the road, it will probably end up being best known for its shots from the infamous "nude-in" the group held last September. This was for a CD cover photo shoot at a Madrid bull ring where "birthday suits only" was the dress code for band members and attendees alike. (You can get a G-rated peek of the latter in the trailer below. More clips are available on the film's website.)

In an interesting marketing ploy, El Canto del Loco Personas (la peliciula) is only being shown in Spanish cinemas between January 2nd and 11th, and only in those with digital projectors. No information is available yet about when this unique movie will be released outside of Spain or on DVD.

Disfrutadlos amig@s,

Carloz

El Nido Vacio = The Empty Nest

One of my favorite films from 2008 is the Argentine-Spanish
co-production, El Nido Vacio. (The Empty Nest.) Filmed primarily in Argentina and partly in Israel, written, directed and produced by Argentine Daniel Burman, and starring Oscar Martinez and Cecilia Roth, it is an interesting comedy-drama with occasionally surrealistic overtones. It also has some excellent music by Academy Award winning singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler.

El Nido Vacio humorously depicts the daily life and marriage of a successful Argentine playwright, Leonardo (Martinez), a middle aged introvert showing signs of suffering from writer's block. His wife, Elena (Roth), is an outgoing, energetic woman who decides to go back to university and convinces Leonardo to try marital group therapy. His children, who are mostly glimpsed on the periphery, seem to be heading out on their own -- one of them eventually to Israel.

Daniel Burman is a well known director in the Spanish speaking world, primarily because of the success of three previous movies: Todas las azafatas van al cielo, El Abrazo Partido, and Derecho De Familia. (Every Stewardess Goes to Heaven, The Lost Embrace and Family Law.) He has said he admires the work of Woody Allen, and it definitely shows, especially in his application of a whimsical sense of humor. Burman's films usually either focus on the lives of Jews in Argentina today, or includes some reference to it. The family in El Nido Vacio is Jewish, but that does not really play a major part of the story.

While the film is entertaining and thought provoking, it can be a little confusing at times, as it swings between what may be reality or what may be the inner workings of Leonardo's creative mind. All is not clear until the very end, when things get wrapped up rather nicely. Basically, however, it is well made film that tells a good story, by a director who obviously knows how to do both.

Disfrutadlo amig@s,

Carloz

HISPANIC FILM: the blog

I love movies and I love Spanish culture, so here starts my effort at merging and sharing the two. Although I live in Spain, this blog will be about films in the Spanish language, no matter where they are produced. I will also occasionally include information about films in English or other languages that have a connection to Spanish speaking countries, e.g. the director is a Spanish speaker, or the film is a production of a Spanish speaking country... Thus, the "and more" part of the blog's title.

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In this fan's opinion, the Hispanic countries with the most dynamic and interesting film output are Argentina and Spain. So, I'll start there. These two nations have cinema industries that are over 100 years old. The first film shown in Spain was in 1895 and in Argentina it was the following year. Both saw their first native film productions in 1897. Since then thousands of Argentine and Spanish movies have been enjoyed by cinema-goers the world over.

Argentina and Spain suffered through dictatorships that tried to stifle creativity, and each of their film industries survived and then blossomed with the return of democracy in the 70s and 80s. Today they are both vibrant, despite the economic challenges of the world and the competition from the Hollywood powerhouse. One of the ways filmmakers in Spain and Argentina face such challenges is to pool resources into co-productions. The year 2008 saw excellent productions coming out of both countries, and I will write about one of those in my next post.

Meanwhile, let me mention that your feedback is appreciated, either via the comments option, or email, spaintheblog@ownmail.net. Also, please feel free to visit and give feedback on my original blog, Spain: The Blog, and my somewhat tongue-in-cheek effort, Spanish Phrasal Verbs.

Saludos amig@s,

Carloz