Not sure why this film has a lower-than-deserved rating here. I suspect it's because it does not have a formulaic "feel good" ending, nor does it have that cliched "commercial blockbuster film" unrealistic gloss. It delivers exactly what the premise is - the story of a particular day in four friends' lives, the day before they are set to vacate the apartment they have shared for 8 years. 3 of the friends are the "official" flatmates, and the 4th is the long time girlfriend of one of the male characters, who effectively becomes part of a quartet by staying over so often.
As they launch into a party to toast their future lives and careers, a casual game of "which 2 of the 3 others would each friend choose to take to a deserted island", unravels the good cheer and merriment to reveal years of buried resentments, frustrations and secrets.
The performances are searing real - so much so that for several stretches, I felt really uncomfortable observing what seemed to be very private disagreements and quarrels between very real characters. But neither could I look away, the emotional vortex the characters plunge into had me hooked with an irresistible fascination. Of the 4 actors, Pol Monen was IMO the best - the way he portrays the pain, insecurity and anger of Eze's character was absolutely fantastic. His dialogues when Eze is confronting his friends, were imbued with an angst and bitterness which felt so very authentic. Andrea Ros was excellent as well, with Jaime Lorente & Maria Pedraza also very competently portraying their roles.
I feel the latter 2 stars having achieved fame in Elite and Money Heist also probably gave some viewers an unrealistic expectation of what *this* film was about. Maybe some of the ratings reflect the viewer angst at having expected something else, rather than an honest evaluation of what this little gem of a film actually brings to the table.
The denouement of the film was also realistic, albeit bittersweet. We see two of the most sympathetic characters tentatively forging a connection again, and hear (through their reminiscing), of the success and happiness another of the characters seems to have achieved. The only thing I would have probably liked to see slightly different was to have had a more positive ending for one of the aforementioned 2 characters, some more success in the field they were passionate about. OTOH, the film ends with that hope for another day, that perhaps there is a chance for that creativity to blossom in days not too far removed. All in all, a thought provoking, superbly acted film, and one which is very well worth a watch.
As they launch into a party to toast their future lives and careers, a casual game of "which 2 of the 3 others would each friend choose to take to a deserted island", unravels the good cheer and merriment to reveal years of buried resentments, frustrations and secrets.
The performances are searing real - so much so that for several stretches, I felt really uncomfortable observing what seemed to be very private disagreements and quarrels between very real characters. But neither could I look away, the emotional vortex the characters plunge into had me hooked with an irresistible fascination. Of the 4 actors, Pol Monen was IMO the best - the way he portrays the pain, insecurity and anger of Eze's character was absolutely fantastic. His dialogues when Eze is confronting his friends, were imbued with an angst and bitterness which felt so very authentic. Andrea Ros was excellent as well, with Jaime Lorente & Maria Pedraza also very competently portraying their roles.
I feel the latter 2 stars having achieved fame in Elite and Money Heist also probably gave some viewers an unrealistic expectation of what *this* film was about. Maybe some of the ratings reflect the viewer angst at having expected something else, rather than an honest evaluation of what this little gem of a film actually brings to the table.
The denouement of the film was also realistic, albeit bittersweet. We see two of the most sympathetic characters tentatively forging a connection again, and hear (through their reminiscing), of the success and happiness another of the characters seems to have achieved. The only thing I would have probably liked to see slightly different was to have had a more positive ending for one of the aforementioned 2 characters, some more success in the field they were passionate about. OTOH, the film ends with that hope for another day, that perhaps there is a chance for that creativity to blossom in days not too far removed. All in all, a thought provoking, superbly acted film, and one which is very well worth a watch.