The Shepherd (El Pastor) (2016)
★★★★☆
In The Shepherd (El Pastor) Jonathan Cenzual Burley captures the heart of rural Spain in a beautifully observed and moving David and Goliath battle.
Spain
Neruda (2016)
★★★★☆
The Olive Tree (2016)
★★★☆☆
The Olive Tree is a heartwarming film scripted by Ken Loach’s collaborator Paul Laverty, directed by Icíar Bollaín, demonstrating the power of personal conviction and positive action.
Pieles (2017)
★★☆☆☆
A rhapsody in pink and purple pastels, Eduardo Casanova’s episodic debut Pieles doesn’t quite have the smarts to match its looks.
The Bar (2017)
★★★☆☆
Returning to the horror-comedy genre of his early films, Álex de la Iglesia’s The Bar uncovers Spanish society at a frightening pace.
The Queen of Spain (2017)
★☆☆☆☆
The story of a Hollywood production filming in Franco’s Spain, Fernando Trueba’s The Queen of Spain offers entertainment with no respite.
Ma Ma (2015)
★★★☆☆
Penélope Cruz stars as a saintly breast cancer sufferer in Julio Medem’s terminal illness melodrama Ma Ma.
Marshland / La Isla Minima (2014)
★★★★☆
A police thriller in the dark heartland of ’80s Andalusia, Alberto Rodríguez’ Marshland is a gripping and stylish study of Spain both then and now.
Festival Review: Nobody Wants The Night / Nadie Quiere La Noche Aie (2015)
★★★☆☆
Shifting the story from polar explorer Peary to his wife, Isabel Coixet’sNobody Wants The Night offers a distinctly female slant on colonisation.
London Film Festival 2014: 10,000km
10,000km With an awe-inspiring opening scene and fantastic performances from its two leads Natalia Tena and David Verdaguer, Carlos Marques-Marcet’s 10,000 km is an…
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The Artist And The Model / El Artista Y La Modelo (2012)
★★★☆☆
All is fair in love and war, Fernando Trueba’s The Artist And The Model gradually hews out the standoff relationship between the creator and his muse.
Blancanieves (2012)
★★★★☆
A very Spanish retelling of the Snow White fairytale, Pablo Berger’s Blancanieves is an enchanting, spellbinding homage to the silent age.
I’m So Excited / Los Amantes Pasajeros (2013)
★★★☆☆
Cross check and doors to manual, Almodóvar’s I’m So Excited smuggles camp humour onboard a plane heading into disaster. Only the sky’s the limit.
The Soul Of Flies / El Alma De Las Moscas (2010)
★★★☆☆
Against a Spanish backdrop of fantasy and fable, Jonathan Cenzual Burley’s debut The Soul Of Flies puts low-budget filmmaking to the test.