Even though I was only three years old when "La cabina" was broadcasted (december 1972), I still remember that in Spain it was such an event that it became a major subject of conversation among the people. Years later, as a remarkable coincidence, I moved to live just in the same street where the filming was done. However, to be exact, the precise location is a small park not open to public traffic, situated between Rodriguez San Pedro and Arapiles streets and Conde del Valle de Suchil square, downtown Madrid. Thirty years later, this small private park still keeps the atmosphere depicted by Mercero in this classic short. It's impossible to walk through it and not to remember "La cabina".
A bright and sunny day, which later turned dark and full of despair. Everything can suddenly change, and sadly we don't know when, how or why... Interestingly, "La cabina" says nothing about the identity of the phone company men. Everything, for the man on the street, is unknown. Nobody knows who handles the threads of human life.
Lack of solidarity. The feel of loneliness even being among a crowd. Who has ever felt that in a big city? Fear. Hopeless. Panic. A dramatic view of the human being. Who has ever thought, for just a second, towards where are we going? Where does life drive us to? The finale is quite disturbing and brings sensations similar to the ones generated by some Goya's "Black Paintings". At first one has a little comfort knowing that there are others in the same situation, but when the final destination is revealed there's no place for anything but panic.
Telephone boxes like that do not exist anymore in Spain. However, the open traps are waiting for us somewhere and one day we might find ourselves in a tunnel like that waiting for the inevitable destiny to come.
A bright and sunny day, which later turned dark and full of despair. Everything can suddenly change, and sadly we don't know when, how or why... Interestingly, "La cabina" says nothing about the identity of the phone company men. Everything, for the man on the street, is unknown. Nobody knows who handles the threads of human life.
Lack of solidarity. The feel of loneliness even being among a crowd. Who has ever felt that in a big city? Fear. Hopeless. Panic. A dramatic view of the human being. Who has ever thought, for just a second, towards where are we going? Where does life drive us to? The finale is quite disturbing and brings sensations similar to the ones generated by some Goya's "Black Paintings". At first one has a little comfort knowing that there are others in the same situation, but when the final destination is revealed there's no place for anything but panic.
Telephone boxes like that do not exist anymore in Spain. However, the open traps are waiting for us somewhere and one day we might find ourselves in a tunnel like that waiting for the inevitable destiny to come.