This obscure film from Spain showed recently on cable. Director Gonzalo Suarez, who has been involved in Spanish cinema as a writer, an actor and as a director, bases his film on a Hans Christian Andersen's tale. He sets the story in a middle European country, which remains unnamed, but it is actually Poland, to set this strange story. The film is pretentious and obscure. It is easy for the viewer to get lost in a narrative that doesn't offer much and deals in the supernatural without much success.
Our main interest in watching the film was to watch Javier Bardem. Alas, even in spite of having won the best actor award in the San Sebastian Film Festival, he does not bring much to the film, although he has to show a lot of himself as he appears naked as the picture begins. Carmelo Lopez, also shows up. He has worked with the director in better made films, "El Portero", being one of them. Mapi Galan, a beautiful actress also 'bares' it all for our benefit. Hector Alterio and Charo Lopez do what they can. Maria De Medeiros' character is annoying.
This is one of the blackest films we have seen in recent memory. The screenplay and adaptation are credited to Mr. Suarez and Azucena Rodriguez.
Our main interest in watching the film was to watch Javier Bardem. Alas, even in spite of having won the best actor award in the San Sebastian Film Festival, he does not bring much to the film, although he has to show a lot of himself as he appears naked as the picture begins. Carmelo Lopez, also shows up. He has worked with the director in better made films, "El Portero", being one of them. Mapi Galan, a beautiful actress also 'bares' it all for our benefit. Hector Alterio and Charo Lopez do what they can. Maria De Medeiros' character is annoying.
This is one of the blackest films we have seen in recent memory. The screenplay and adaptation are credited to Mr. Suarez and Azucena Rodriguez.