The world of Andreu is shattered, as the story begins, when he comes upon a wreckage where a neighbor and his son were involved. The almost unwatchable beginning marks the young boy forever. This was the Catalonia of the post war. The small town, in an impoverished rural area where a drama that began a few years before the initial tragedy, serves as the setting for this tale about the coming of age of Andreu.
Farriol, the father of Andreu, has a lot to be afraid. He wants to flee to France, but ends up at his old mother's house where a lot of widows share the space with the bitterness of their lives. Andreu is sent by his mother, Florencia, to stay with his relatives. It is hard for her to keep working at a small factory and tending her young son without the husband that has gone away.
In the new surroundings, Andreu, unravels secrets that are long buried. The defection of his father Farriol weighs heavily on the boy. The atmosphere is oppressive at best. School is not a pleasant place to be either. The only teacher is a man who should not be near children. Andreu discovers his father's role in a horrible act of castration performed on a young man whose only fault was to be a homosexual.
The well-to-do family of the Manubens, where one of Andreu's aunts works as a servant, are the key to the well kept secret the whole town knows, but do not dare to speak. Florencia's only alternative is a sacrifice: she will let the rich Manubens take Andreu away so he can be educated. Florencia coming to visit Andreu at the catholic school, is shocked to find a totally changed Andreu as the story ends.
"Black Bread" was the winner of last year Goya for best film has its merits. Based on a novel by Emili Texidor and adapted for the screen by its director, Agusti Villaronga, it presents the oppressive era of the post civil war era in that part of Spain. The story is complex. Seen through the eyes of the impressionable Andreu, he watches the adult world around him, not being able to absorb the bizarre story behind it. Loving his father, Andreu feels betrayed as he finds out about an ugly episode in which his old man was involved, as well as his mother being sexually abused by a cruel mayor of the town. It is Asuncion who makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to see Andreu get an education, only to be met with his scorn.
Young Francesc Colomer is Andreu. We have never seen the actor, so our impression is that his experience is mainly from working in television, not a guarantee to make a good performer in another medium. The best thing in the film is the Asuncion of Nora Navas who gives an excellent performance as the mother of Andreu. Sergi Lopez and Eduard Fernandez have done much better before. They are seen basically in supporting roles.
Farriol, the father of Andreu, has a lot to be afraid. He wants to flee to France, but ends up at his old mother's house where a lot of widows share the space with the bitterness of their lives. Andreu is sent by his mother, Florencia, to stay with his relatives. It is hard for her to keep working at a small factory and tending her young son without the husband that has gone away.
In the new surroundings, Andreu, unravels secrets that are long buried. The defection of his father Farriol weighs heavily on the boy. The atmosphere is oppressive at best. School is not a pleasant place to be either. The only teacher is a man who should not be near children. Andreu discovers his father's role in a horrible act of castration performed on a young man whose only fault was to be a homosexual.
The well-to-do family of the Manubens, where one of Andreu's aunts works as a servant, are the key to the well kept secret the whole town knows, but do not dare to speak. Florencia's only alternative is a sacrifice: she will let the rich Manubens take Andreu away so he can be educated. Florencia coming to visit Andreu at the catholic school, is shocked to find a totally changed Andreu as the story ends.
"Black Bread" was the winner of last year Goya for best film has its merits. Based on a novel by Emili Texidor and adapted for the screen by its director, Agusti Villaronga, it presents the oppressive era of the post civil war era in that part of Spain. The story is complex. Seen through the eyes of the impressionable Andreu, he watches the adult world around him, not being able to absorb the bizarre story behind it. Loving his father, Andreu feels betrayed as he finds out about an ugly episode in which his old man was involved, as well as his mother being sexually abused by a cruel mayor of the town. It is Asuncion who makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to see Andreu get an education, only to be met with his scorn.
Young Francesc Colomer is Andreu. We have never seen the actor, so our impression is that his experience is mainly from working in television, not a guarantee to make a good performer in another medium. The best thing in the film is the Asuncion of Nora Navas who gives an excellent performance as the mother of Andreu. Sergi Lopez and Eduard Fernandez have done much better before. They are seen basically in supporting roles.