Friday, October 28, 2011
WHO DOES WHAT TO WHO?
Today's film was the NYTimes Critics' Pick
ambién la lluvia / Only The Rain (2010)
A Spanish film starring Gael García Bernal, Luis Tosar and Juan Carlos Aduviri.
A film company seeks to produce an exposé drama based on historic fact about Columbus' exploitation of the native indians by, surprisingly, exploiting the locals who work as extras and even as a main character in the film. In the background is an uprising over water rights taken by an international company.
This is a propaganda film, full frontal and very good. The subtleties are hammered home so that they are no longer subtleties. But that is OK.
The acting is superb especially by Aduviri who is the local who will not be exploited and becomes a star of the film in production. And a star of this film that we are seeing. Mirrors.
Films about film making often go awry but this one does not. The local politics hold the production story tight in its grip.
No distance between it and the room needed to make the film.
It is quite thrilling. There are some flips and flops between our heroes that The Times did not like but I did.
I haven't mentioned Bernal who, in this, is a bit of a shit, an idealistic one. The two often go together. Idealism and insensitivity in and with the real world.
I may want to see this again sometime. I will give it a 5 out of Netflix 5.
