Solas
— People are inherently decent: celebrating a threatening undertone that fails to materialise.”
- Director: Benito Zambrano
- Spain, 1999
Ten minutes into Solas, I was steeling myself against the grim conclusion to which this film would inevitably descend. But I was wrongfooted by the virtuosity of the characters as they began to discover their own strengths.
Solas presents Spain without the colour of Almodovar, the mystery of Amenábar or the surrealism of Luna. It’s realism without the magic. Yet it’s also the very toughness of María that lends her unfailing appeal. The silence of María’s mother hides the latter’s incredible dignity. The needy old curmudgeon turns out to be a caring, determined gentleman. All the characters suffer, they have problems, they have idiosyncracies, but you can never write them off.
The realistic humanity of this film – in which small efforts are big achievements – probably explains its award-winning popularity with the audiences of various film festivals.
See also:
Dark Habits
A breezy, inconsequential tale of nuns with nowhere to run.
- Originally published: 12 Sep 2006 in Film
Y Tu Mamá También
Your mother wouldn’t like it: the awkward charm of a Mexican coming-of-age drama.
- Originally published: 4 Feb 2008 in Film
Behind the Sun (Abril Despedaçado)
Searing heat and boiling tempers in the Brazilian outback.
- Originally published: 28 Mar 2007 in Film
Andalusia
In search of a great power whose sun has long since set behind these hills.
- Originally published: 11 Apr 2008 in Europe
Pepi, Luci, Bom
Lightweight and fizzy but carries barely a hint of the greatness to come!
- Originally published: 21 Aug 2006 in Film
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