Balada triste de trompeta - Álex de la Iglesia (2010)

The title of this film explains what the thing is about: Spain, from the Civil War to the times just before the end of Franco. It takes the title from a very popular song from a very popular singer/actor. I think this film is full of such references that are often missed. But that's what I liked the most about it. You could put them together with Distant Voices... in terms on how well they are true to their own social environment, even without trying.

It is a bold film. It's violent at times, over the top at others.. but again, he fiction characters are fiction... the context is real and that's the scariest thing of all.

Visually it's quite an impressive film. The art department did a great job, everything is very stylish. The sound is okay. Right now I can't remember the dubbing ruining everything, but I might have forgotten.

If dubbing is the tragic flaw of Spanish cinema, certainly actors are its strength. A film that has surreal moments needs to engage with the human side and most actor capture that from their characters. Santiago Segura is in the film for not more than 20 minutes and you would say he stays in it for the rest of the film.

The first scene was my favourite. A circus show is interrupted by the war. A child is left alone on stage while a lion walks in from the darkness. It's such an eerie moment, the atmosphere is so expressive... it's also a metaphor of what's going to happen.

Balada triste de trompeta