Get on down to the Dendy Cinemas this week as the Windows on Europe Film Festival still has 3 days to go!
We are introduced to Benito “Benny Lacun” Lacunza who is living a rock-star life in Madrid as a jazz trumpet musician, playing in bars and celebrating his performances with plenty o’ booze. Soon his Aunt from his family home in the village of Estrella calls with bad news: his father is on his death bed. Benito returns home to visit his father and along the way finds out that his shy and sensitive brother Lalo (Julián Villagrán) is to marry Benito’s former crush Nines (Emma Suárez). Convinced that his brother is making a terrible decision, Benito decides to save his brother from himself. Soon however, Benito creates a bond with Nina’s young daughter Ainara (Violeta Rodríguez), and, amidst tragedy, Benito flourishes, taking control and offering his assistance in his own type of way, reconnecting with his long distant family and village where wackiness ensues…………..
The film is rich with cultural texture and humour. A joyous, but at times quite sad, look at what it means to be a part of a family. I watched this during the wonderful cultural food fair and ran straight out afterwards to get a chicken-tortia and a Sol beer! I highly recommend it!
In a remote village in Lapland we meet Nikolas, a young boy who tragically loses his parents and young sister in an accident. The villagers decide to take turns looking after Nikolas, with Nikolas living in each of the 6 houses in the village for a period of a year. At the end of each year, on Christmas Day, Nikolas is moved to a new home where he leaves toys for the children of his household as a final, anonymous, goodbye present. Soon however, the villages’ fish supply is cut tragically short. With none of the villagers able to support the young orphan during the lean Winter months, young Nik is sent to work as an apprentice for the cruel, hermit carpenter, Iisakki, where wackiness ensues......
Does for the Father Christmas legend what Casino Royale did for James Bond and what Batman Begins did for Batman! A lovely holiday tale, although quite sentimental in parts.
Set in early 20th century Corfu, we meet the proud, but debt-ridden, Ofiomahos family who, in order to save their fortune and lavish lifestyle, pressure their daughter into marrying the wealthy doctor Aristidis. From here, a domino effect takes hold, and the downfall of the family mirrors Aristidis’ romantic and political rise, where wackiness ensues......
This is a Greek melodrama epic set against the rise of the Greek bourgeoisie, where, akin to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Eugene O'Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night, the tragedy of the family's fate keeps unrolling, until only the credits give relief. Unfortunately we do not see much of the landscape of the beautiful Corfu. However, this is a wonderfully acted piece, if you like this sort of thing!
We are introduced to high-school student Ben (played by the intense Greg Timmermans), who is quite different from the norm. Suffering from a mild form of autism that prevents normal communication, Ben emerses himself in the online fantasy game ArchLord, where he is the strong and courageous hero, Ben X. In the real world however, Ben is regularly tormented by bullies, with his fate largely ignored by teachers and unknown by his parents. As the bullies' attacks escalate to humiliating cyber-bullying, Ben is pushed further and further towards the edge. Suddenly however, the girl of his dreams and online partner, Scarlite, appears to advise him of the perfect ‘endgame’ plan to confront and get revenge on those that have made his life so miserable, where wackiness ensues...................... Based on director Nic Balthazar's novel Nothing Was All, inspired by the unfortunate true story of a boy with autism who committed suicide as a result of bullying, Ben X is a tense first-person narrative of what it is like to experience bullying in the time of one’s life where not many options seem available, especially to one who has trouble connecting with others in the first place.
Tonight I am off to see Portuguese movie That Dear Month of August, directed by Miguel Gomes. 'Set in the Portuguese mountains where the population and its activities swell during the month of August', we follow the inhabitants as they enjoy their beautiful lifestyles amongst picturesque environments. The movie sounds like a mini-holiday! Should be good!