6/10
Passable and acceptable film about the popular tabloid , its twisted as well as dark means , and unexpected consequences
19 August 2017
Decent picture concerning about the commercial tabloids , focusing on journalism , ambition , love , life , and death . It gives you an insight of the real world and the sensationalist journalism regarding a press agency documentation department , as anyone the average citizen feels happy being alive after reading about the gossips , loves , marriages and tragedies in the paper . It deals with a seedy tabloid newspaper that suffers a threat of economic bankruptcy . As the news agency led by Antonio Borja (Antonio Ferrandis) , an elderly journalist who served in the Francoist ¨División Azul¨ during WWII , he has help of his protegé Tomás (Patxi Andion) who develops a fondness for his boss and his godson Julia , a young reporter from last university generations , with whom Antonio has a special relationship . But Antonio has been involved in a blackmail carried out by a former colleague (Héctor Alterio) of the Blue Division and happens a criminal intrigue ; then , things go wrong . It describes the appearance of the background of the world of tabloids in which abound fake news , false expectations created among the population with reports sold exclusively for a big share and showing what is behind the covers of paper on the known magazines as ¨Interview¨, ¨10 Minutos¨, ¨Lecturas¨, ¨Semana¨, ¨Hola¨, among others .

Dealing with the popular magazines that weekly buy people eager for gossiping along with a ¨Noir intrigue¨ upon some engaging photos taken to a prestigious person form the rest of the screenplay , being played by magnificent players with great panache . ¨Corazon De Papel¨ explores around other side of the coin for serious news reporting . The flick describes the dark means this magazine use to get news , as the tricks used by celebrities to remain in the show-business , such as stolen nudes that have been previously agreed , interested parties with allegedly spontaneous shots , sold weddings , and several others . This newspaper wants to be on a class by itself by printing and showing in its pages the sensational tales that serve as an escape for the masses . As well as showing the squalor , deceits , corruption , amorality and fakes of tabloid journalism . The actors are all great in their own ways , as the main cast is pretty good with two fabulous actors giving excellent interpretations as Antonio Ferrandis and Héctor Alterio . Ferrandis as a veteran reporter formed during the Francoist regime , whose own private life is hidden from his colleagues , he is a complex character that even his close associates cannot understand . He is very convincing , starting off as a humble , sensitive man until a surprising ending in which he attempts to protect his daughter at whatever means . Support cast is frankly well , plenty of familiar faces ,such as : Eduardo Calvo , Lautaro Murúa , Francisco Vidal , Valentín Paredes , Isabel Luque , Claudia Gravy , and Silvia Tortosa , among others.

The film was professionally directed by Roberto Bodegas with some flaws and gaps . In this work he shows how thin is the line between contention and excess , between drama and journalism exploitation . Bodegas is a talented Spanish movies director , he began working in cinema in 1971 , though he became notorious in the years of the Spanish transition to democracy with peculiar comedies called ¨3ª Via¨ , such as : ¨Españolas En Paris¨ , ¨Vida Conyugal Sana¨ , ¨Los Nuevos Españoles¨ and ¨La Adultera¨ . And made a box-office and problematic Quinqui movie : ¨Matar Al Nani¨, here Roberto attempted to take a position in favor of outcast people and focusing tortures executed by law enforcement . His best film was ¨Libertad Provisional¨ starred by Concha Velasco . ¨Paper heart¨ rating : 6.5/10 , though the film failed to attract a large number of spectators .
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