... and I don't mean to be "damning with faint praise" here.
As with many of the best indie films, this takes a small budget and small cast, set in a narrow context, and makes some telling observations about life and the world in general. (cf "That Sinking Feeling", maybe? That kind of charm, anyway...)
He made me care about the characters, even if I didn't fully sympathise with their decisions or accept the premiss of their effective captivity by circumstances. Clearly here he's extrapolating from the consequences of the Spanish financial crisis (and global capitalism), but these kind of hard choices about one's life direction will have resonance for all, I think.
Some nice touches in the script illustrate how Ben didn't hammer things home (e.g. "I wish I'd bought the Renault 8" and "I bought a screwdriver but it turned out it was made in China") but made his points nevertheless...
Recommended.
As with many of the best indie films, this takes a small budget and small cast, set in a narrow context, and makes some telling observations about life and the world in general. (cf "That Sinking Feeling", maybe? That kind of charm, anyway...)
He made me care about the characters, even if I didn't fully sympathise with their decisions or accept the premiss of their effective captivity by circumstances. Clearly here he's extrapolating from the consequences of the Spanish financial crisis (and global capitalism), but these kind of hard choices about one's life direction will have resonance for all, I think.
Some nice touches in the script illustrate how Ben didn't hammer things home (e.g. "I wish I'd bought the Renault 8" and "I bought a screwdriver but it turned out it was made in China") but made his points nevertheless...
Recommended.