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