A right, but not an obligation
Alejandro Amenábar (The Others (2001), Agora (2009)) took on the daunting challenge of the life story of Spaniard Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem), a former sailor who was tetraplegic for 28 years, and who successfully fought in court for his right to euthanasia.
Oceans apart
Spanish writer/director Gerardo Olivares’ film 14 Kilómetros (2007) tells us how far the Moroccan coastline is separated from Spain, writes Gerald Loftus. Tantalizingly close, visible from your window whether you’re in Tangier on the African side or Tarifa on the European coast. But if you are one of the thousands of desperate [...]
Back in the darkness
Catalonian and Spanish directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza are back on the scene, with their sequel to the sublime, terrifying [Rec] (2007). So, does the second slice of P.O.V. pandemonium match up to the first?
Well, yes and no. As already said, the same directors reunite (and Picturenose had a chance [...]
Tough tricks
Writer-director Fernando León de Aranoa (Los lunes al sol (2002), Caminantes (2001)) here turns his gaze towards a world far removed from that of Pretty Woman (1990) – the grubby, frequently sickening lives inhabited by sex workers, where hope is a truly precious commodity, a different currency from the prices that women haggle for [...]
A life (and death) less ordinary
Spanish director Manuel Huerga (Diario de un astronauta (2008)) is brave enough to provide a frank and unflinching account of one of his country’s darkest periods, namely the 1970s dictatorship of Francisco Franco and the life and times of anarchist and bank-robber Salvador Puig Antich (Daniel Brühl), whose execution in [...]
[photopress:Thieves.jpg,thumb,alignleft]Stolen chances
A slick, well-made effort from Spanish director Jaime Marques (El Paraíso perdido (1999)) – writers Juan Ibáñez and Enrique López Lavigne offer an insight into the life and mind of Álex (Juan José Ballesta), a child abandoned by his kleptomaniac mother after she’d taught him how to ‘lift’ from passers-by, and the relationship he [...]
[photopress:alatriste.gif,thumb,alignleft] A hero’s reign in Spain
In the first Picturenose contribution to our new partnership with Cineuropa.org, James finds much to enjoy in a historical biopic starring Viggo Mortensen.
It’s been a while since your faithful correspondent watched a proper historical romp and, what’s more, it’s been longer still since I enjoyed one as much as Alatriste [...]
