Six years ago I watched this film. It is still fresh in my mind, as if I had watched it last night. Movies don't get more impressive. It is so far the best drama I have seen (out of more than 5000 movies, one a day ) I watched over the last 10 years. Nec plus ultra, and it supports my opinion that Spain produces the best cinematography of all countries lately.
The story -inspired from reality-is scripted to emotional perfection. Dialogues are exacting, gripping, powerful. There is not a dull moment, as the tension is so strong that even the beautiful landscapes, the flashbacks of Ramon (J. Bardem) the music filled intervals, never detract from the harrowing story.
It is not sad, it is not happy, it is not right not wrong, not legal not illegal. For whichever view one may take on the issue, there is a contrarian view of equal power beautifully suggested in the story. Indifference is what you will not feel. The Jesuit priest scene is only one instance of critique of the simplistic opinions and hypocrisy in the bourgeois society.
Amenabar has put together this masterpiece with a superb script and crystalline photography, precise cast and evocative music (some by himself). Justly awarded for this movie, he has carved a solid name for himself in cinema.
Javier Bardem gives probably the best performance of his career (though I really hope he is able of even more in the future). European Film Awards granted him aptly the Best Actor prize that year. For a movie about the very lack of mobility, with most scenes in a room with a bed and little more, for a character that moves eyes and eyebrows, Bardem is a wonder in the acting guild. Another noted performance of Bardem would be his deliciously versatile act in "Before Night Falls" The supporting actors deliver strong scenes, especially Belen Rueda (Julia).
Some review this film as being a debate on an issue. It is, but also far more than that. It is the essence of humanity, makes you think, makes you cry. And -as tested on myself- after many years and thousands of films I have watched after it, it remains the most powerful. This movie unleashes the force of life. I cannot think of a more memorable experience in cinema.
The story -inspired from reality-is scripted to emotional perfection. Dialogues are exacting, gripping, powerful. There is not a dull moment, as the tension is so strong that even the beautiful landscapes, the flashbacks of Ramon (J. Bardem) the music filled intervals, never detract from the harrowing story.
It is not sad, it is not happy, it is not right not wrong, not legal not illegal. For whichever view one may take on the issue, there is a contrarian view of equal power beautifully suggested in the story. Indifference is what you will not feel. The Jesuit priest scene is only one instance of critique of the simplistic opinions and hypocrisy in the bourgeois society.
Amenabar has put together this masterpiece with a superb script and crystalline photography, precise cast and evocative music (some by himself). Justly awarded for this movie, he has carved a solid name for himself in cinema.
Javier Bardem gives probably the best performance of his career (though I really hope he is able of even more in the future). European Film Awards granted him aptly the Best Actor prize that year. For a movie about the very lack of mobility, with most scenes in a room with a bed and little more, for a character that moves eyes and eyebrows, Bardem is a wonder in the acting guild. Another noted performance of Bardem would be his deliciously versatile act in "Before Night Falls" The supporting actors deliver strong scenes, especially Belen Rueda (Julia).
Some review this film as being a debate on an issue. It is, but also far more than that. It is the essence of humanity, makes you think, makes you cry. And -as tested on myself- after many years and thousands of films I have watched after it, it remains the most powerful. This movie unleashes the force of life. I cannot think of a more memorable experience in cinema.