On June 28 of this year, Casa in Flames (Etxea Sutan), a dramatic comedy directed by Dani de la Orden, premiered. I told him I thought I would see him a month before the festival, when I was talking to a friend, and he recommended it to me. Although we do not always agree, the friend is very fond of the truth, and I usually do well to listen. I've already seen it, and you guessed it again.
The story begins when a family's mother decides to sell her summer home, bringing all her relatives together to collect the last remains of the house and prepare them for sale. The way home will be expected and, worse still, when everyone meets, the father of the family will appear, accompanied by his new partner, who will oppose the sale of the house. Instead of solving this discrepancy, the family will have a chaotic weekend in which we will discover the secrets and misfortunes of each of them.
In the film, the most striking, by far, I've been given a script. I thought it was a theater comedy, very well written. Incidentally, this morning I talked to a theater actor, and maybe that's why, but I thought of a style very similar to the comedies I've seen lately. The script is ridiculous and is based a lot on interpretations; it reminded me of that sweet and curious sensation that only leaves the theater.
The end can be quite obvious, and although at first it gave me a bit of disgust, at the end I came to the conclusion that it was good. The film is recommended for both the cinéphiles and those who do not have much habit of going to the movies. And if you recommend it, if you haven't gone long ago and you have the opportunity, maybe you can also go see some work to feel that sweet and curious sensation again.
Confusa and offline
In the afternoon, I have seen in the Prince room more people from Sundays die (more people die on Sundays), by Argentine director Iair Said. The title seemed very curious and attractive to me, because I wanted to know why we were waiting to die until Sunday. However, the film has quickly revealed to me the mystery: in the Jewish community, if someone dies on Friday or Saturday, they wait to bury him until Sunday, so the deaths of three days accumulate on Sundays.
However, this revelation has not been too important in the script, only to say that David (Iair Said) is the Jewish protagonist. Throughout the film we also collect information about David: that he is big, that he is afraid to fly, that he is homosexual, that he has a strange relationship with sex and that he has reburied his uncle in Argentina, among other things. The most important issue is that her father is in a coma and that her mother is not willing to disconnect from her son's room.
As you can see, the film talks about many different ideas; at the same time, too many. And that is, even at the end of the film, I haven't been able to understand the importance of David being a Jew in history, or the influence of being homosexual, or the appearance of that strange relationship with sex. I thought it was an offline film, I was not able to link different issues, nor did I understand what I wanted to convey to each of them. Maybe the audience is used to the script following a thread, and that's why I've been doing a strange job. However, I do not know whether that is or is an inadequate way of counting it directly.
In the credits of the film I have realized that the director, the writer and the protagonist is Said himself, and that is why it may be an attempt to tell some personal story. The truth is that the film has had a couple of very exciting moments, between David and his mother Dora (Rita Cortese). What I liked the most is Rita’s interpretation, although in general I found them all to be good. It is a pity that the lack of connection between the issues has not allowed me to enjoy the film.
Bound in Heaven
Address: Xin Huo
Country: China
Duration: 109 minutes
Premiere: Not implemented
Run away from death, forward. The man who suffers a terminal illness will do so, along with his lover, friend and travel partner. A hard but positive film, with good image... [+]
The ninth and final day, at a special festival that will remember me with great affection. Leaving two films risky for the last day, I'm writing this first chronicle with the music of a bar, because I didn't like the movie I saw before.
I've seen Ulysses in the program of the... [+]
And that was Saturday and not Sunday. It was hard for him to clear up the day, because there were far fewer people on the street and there was no hurry. Some soon approached Kursaal and Victoria Eugenia Theatre, where they projected the closing movie of the night, We Live in... [+]
The Gasteiztarra Patricia López de Arnaiz has been made with the Goya the best lead actor at the 72 San Sebastian Festival. In the Zinemaldia, for his work in the film 'The Flashes', directed by Pilar Palomero.
The film is based on the first narrative of Eider Rodríguez's book... [+]
I never cry with movies. I've seen hard films, sad stories, full of death, showing the worst of the human being, without asking for forgiveness. I've seen beautiful, elegant, monumental movies that talk about miracles, deep. And yet, I don't cry with movies. Those of us who... [+]
Although outside the Concha de Oro competition and other awards, other – usually good – works are premiered in the Official Section. In particular, there are sixteen competing films and 22 films – twenty films and two telescopes – are in projection.
One of the series... [+]
When I made the Festival calendar, the first film I chose was Parthenope. Not knowing what it was, before I read the synopsis, I knew I had to see it, because it was from director Paolo Sorrentino. My roommate and roommate always tells me that I’m an “excited” with that... [+]
On Wednesday, the Greek Costa-Gavras was at Donostia-San Sebastian, at 91, presenting his new work and giving him the level with Le dernier souffle; and on Thursday the British Mike Leigh, with an elegant black cane and an 81 year old luggage.
New old ones? No. And I'm not... [+]
Family dynamics that have been worsening for too long tend to become chronic and cannot be easily cured. In the feature film written and directed by Sandra Romero, where the silence passes (The place that passes the silence), Antonio (Antonio Araque) returns to Ecija (Andalusia)... [+]
There is sometimes a feeling that everything is tied. It will be possible to see everything, even in the Official Section, always under a framework. We have seen some touches of humor, weeping dramas, suspenses, documentaries, even a horror film – which we will analyze at the... [+]
Always within a framework, but we are seeing everything in the Official Section of the Festival. And that, to tell the truth, is appreciated. There’s a big difference between the dozens of “smell your eggs” in this bullfighter’s movie and the infinite silences of On... [+]
On Monday afternoon, I had already planned two documentaries carried out in the Basque Country. I am not particularly fond of documentaries, but Zinemaldia is often a good opportunity to set aside habits and traditions. I decided on the Pello Gutierrez Peñalba Replica a week... [+]