This Monday the new edition of the Film Festival begins in Spanish cinemas. An important event for Spanish cinemas which, on its second date in 2024, aims to fill seats taking advantage of the reduced price. Only 3.50 euros to watch a film during the four days of this Festival, which will last between November 4 and 7.
Although the previous edition of this initiative, that of the spring of this year, recorded significantly lower attendance data than previous years, the autumn editions generally tend to achieve much better results in terms of attendance of the spectators.
Although not all cinemas participate in this initiative, more than 300 cinemas are affiliated throughout Spain. Four days of preview films among which we recommend these five must-sees.
“The room next door”
Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and first English-language film directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The next room It takes a look at a dignified death and traces a song about the power of empathy from an emotional perspective. The film brought Almodóvar to the forefront of the news since its premiere in Venice and with the Donostia Prize for his career.
Starring two great actresses, Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, the film captures the emotional vision of death that Almodóvar conveys from a story by Sigrid Nunez about two friends who accompany each other in the final days of one d ‘them. Memories, friendship, loyalty, but also confrontation with the past are some of the themes explored in the film.
A bare and austere film, but very Almodovarian in terms of colors, composition and spirit. Almodóvar in its purest form and a perfect choice to enjoy the Film Festival.
‘Anora’
It seems it’s all about the winners. From the Venice Film Festival, we move on to the Cannes Film Festival, the place from which Anora and its director Sean Baker came out on top with a Palme d’Or. This film is not just any romantic film. Its protagonist is a sex worker who has a fleeting relationship with the son of a Russian oligarch, who does not accept this relationship. A plot that explores themes such as dignity or vulnerability and offers an analysis of class differences and power relations.
A journey between comedy and romance that traces the complexities of the protagonist’s life and all the emotional struggles she must go through while navigating a world full of limits and prejudices. In addition to addressing the issue of class, Baker also addresses sex work, with a raw and realistic portrayal.
A film that has been talked about as the opposite of pretty woman. Without a doubt, one of the great films of the year which, at the moment and according to critics, has a good chance of being nominated for an Oscar.
“The Infiltrator”
The Infiltrator collects the story of Aránzazu Berrade, the false name adopted by the first woman who joined ETA. A 22-year-old young woman who faced pressure and machismo in exchange for nothing and who was a key element in the dismantling of the terrorist group. With this film, his story is saved and a character hitherto unknown to the general public is named.
Directed by Arantxa Echevarría, this film creates a sort of mirror game where machismo is transversal. The protagonist, played by Carolina Yuste, stands out for the psychological burden of her mission, that of infiltrating without being discovered.
With a sober tone and a focus on the moral dilemmas of infiltration, this film offers a raw and dramatic look at a story that, according to its director, would have been known much earlier if it had had a man as its protagonist.
“Hail Mary”
Hail Mary approaches the thriller psychological anchored in daily life and motherhood. Its director, Mar Coll, tells the routine of a writer who has been a mother and who does not feel the same affection for her baby that other mothers seem to feel.
After the tragic news of a mother who drowned her two babies in a bathtub, the protagonist of Hail Mary will not continue her motherhood normally. One of the scary questions she asks herself is whether she would be better off without her baby.
The film throws uncomfortable arrows at the viewer by focusing on the complexities and shadows of motherhood, far from the most common idealization. A film that frightens and impresses, which also focuses on body horror of those mothers whose bodies completely change during childbirth. A film which questions and critiques the idealization of a human and daily process which, as soon as it ceases to be as society conceives it, points directly towards these “bad mothers”.
‘Jury No. 2’
Clint Eastwood’s new film. A thriller intelligent judicial that recounts the process in which a man is chosen as a popular jury. An ideal man, perfect husband and future father who, upon arriving in court, realizes that he is the real culprit of the death of the victim they are trying. The question that assails you here is whether you should surrender or not. The protagonist will try to convince the rest of the popular jury not to convict him without having to surrender.
Eastwood’s 40th film explores suspense and themes such as the importance of truth and lies. A film that achieves every filmmaker’s goal of keeping the viewer sitting with intrigue and anticipation. Morality, guilt and the failure of the justice system are some of the themes Eastwood exploits in what may be his final film.
This thrilleralong with Eastwood’s classic style, finds the flavor of the 90s in a film that explores the moral ambiguity of complex characters.
