★ 10 / 10
**An excellent film where dream, reality, illusion and
Filipe Manuel Neto
**An excellent film where dream, reality, illusion and fantasy mix.** In this film, we follow the ordeal of César, a young Spaniard who has everything a young…
**An excellent film where dream, reality, illusion and fantasy mix.**
In this film, we follow the ordeal of César, a young Spaniard who has everything a young man could want: a comfortable life, money, friends and all the women he wants (although he avoids serious commitments as much as possible). During a birthday party, in which he tries to escape his most recent case, he meets Sofia, a seductive and intelligent young woman who knows how to captivate him. However, his whole life is ruined when he has a car accident, intentionally provoked, and his face is completely disfigured.
If the psychological, mental and physical difficulties caused by such an injury could be enough for a movie script, Amenábar goes even further by mixing this with various considerations about dreams, illusion and memory. Brutally intense, the film goes round and round, and from a certain point, it's hard for us to understand what is true and what is a dream or illusion of the protagonist. The ending is truly disconcerting.
Although the film does not seem very expensive, it has a good cast. Eduardo Noriega does a good dramatic job and is an excellent protagonist. Penélope Cruz, undoubtedly better known as she “made the leap” into American cinema, is still a very young and beautiful actress at this stage, and she is genuine in the work she develops. Chete Lera and Fele Martínez give good support and effort in their roles, and even Najwa Nimri, the supposed villain of the film, is very good at the task given to her.
A good part of the story told comes to us through the flashbacks that accompany César's report to his psychiatrist, and this resource was very well used and very effective. The film mixes well the themes it addresses, balancing very well in all of them and the dialogues are really good, they breathe naturalness and authenticity. Good sets, good costumes and the good choice of shooting locations helped a lot to make the film more visually beautiful, while the cinematography knew how to make the best use of the intense sunlight of the Spanish capital and the beautiful shades of blue in the sky, which contrast sharply with the dense penumbra that the main character seems to prefer.
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★ 8 / 10
Just great entertainment from beginning to end
raymond-15
Although the plot is confusing at times, a second viewing helps to untangle the convoluted story about dreams and reality. Most of the time we are not sure if…
Although the plot is confusing at times, a second viewing helps to untangle the convoluted story about dreams and reality. Most of the time we are not sure if what we are watching is really happening or whether it is a profoundly disturbing nightmare. Cesar (Edouardo Noriega) whose head is badly fractured in a high speed car crash quite understandably has blurred recollections of events involving his good buddy Pelayo and his girl friends Sofia and Nuria. As his doctor explains: In dreams characters are often substituted, one for the other.
There is much I like about this film. First of all I like the script. The dialogue between Sofia and Cesar at first meeting and afterwards is so natural, so believable. The four main characters are absolutely charming and have a rapport between each other that is rarely seen in films. This is either good casting or good acting, or maybe a bit of both. As the story unfolds we are completely absorbed. This is true entertainment on the highest level. O.K. we may not be fully cognisant of what is happening at times, but we glue ourselves to the screen expecting that an explanation will come in due course.
There are some chilling lines e.g. Just before Nuria steps on the accelerator: "Do you believe in God?"
There are some mysterious questions put to Cesar e.g. "Who is Eli? You called out 'Eli...Eli' while you were dreaming. Is she a girl?" No such person. What then? The mystery deepens.
There is quality photography in the film. The rain in the park. And before that the reflections of foliage flashing in the car windows with glimpses of tense faces.
The make-up team too does a great job On Cesar's handsome face. What a transformation!
On top of all this we get a lesson on cryonics and the possibility of immortality. What more do you want for your money?
Take it from me. This is a film you must see.
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this is the best spanish film ever made