Make Me Blush: Spanish Cinema

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Paco Cabezas' Neon Flesh - Quirky Misadventures of Low Lives

Ricky (Mario Casas) lives in the seedy streets of a rough neighborhood among pimps and prostitutes, thieves and junkies, and merciless gangsters. He has learned to thrive in this environment. In fact, he has saved enough dough to purchase a rundown tenement. Abandoned at 12 years old on the streets by his mother Pura (Angela Molina), Ricky nevertheless yearns for his mother’s affection. When Pura, who has been incarcerated for several years, is finally released from jail, Ricky gets the privilege to fetch her.

Days before Pura’s release, Ricky enlists the help of his friends: Angelito (Vicente Romero), a pimp; Angelito's junkie girlfriend and his tough bodyguard, and a transvestite who desperately believes she deserves to be immortalized in films. Ricky’s mission: to start a club-cum-brothel in honor of Pura. Trouble is, Ricky doesn't have a single girl working for him yet. When he finally meets Pura, he finds her eternally disagreeable. Worse, she seems to have forgotten him altogether, saying she’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Moreover, he didn’t realize he was encroaching on the dominion of portentous gangster boss Chino (Dario Grandinetti).

Angelito, who’s hilariously conflicted about his sexuality, takes him to a white slavery ring to “buy” girls. When they were able to get their stripper/hookers, they find a pregnant North African girl who just braved the oceans and escaped the Spanish authorities; a Slovakian girl named Irina, et. al. Business flies until its success reaches Chino who succeeds to abduct Ricky. What becomes of Ricky and his dreams? Will he ever attain the maternal acceptance that he has long dreamed of?

Director Paco Cabezas sets his tale in the metropolis’ underbelly of morally impoverished characters. These characters seem perfectly conceptualized, as though natural pawns in a cantankerous game of survival. But these colorful characters weren't born overnight from Cabezas' fertile imagination. In fact, it took him 5 years to develop and expound the script which first came out as a short film. Cabezas further paints his cinematic palette with opprobrious characters yet, like many popular Spanish movies, Cabezas imbues them with quirky charm and a considerable backstory. Think "Trainspotting" with oodles of hilarity.

Angelito, for example, is a pimp who acts tough, yet is bothered by issues involving his sexuality. When he was supposed to get rid of his junkie girlfriend, he couldn't even pull the trigger. When his friend needed help, he staked his life. Though he realized what they were getting into, he helped Ricky build his dubious empire. Despite the constant sleaze surrounding his persona, you find yourself rooting for dorky Angelito; that's no easy feat, considering what he does for a living. I also liked the character of Antonio dela Torre, a submissive half-wit bodyguard named Santos and how he got so attached to their pregnant "captive" Mobila. He's supposed to be easily swayed and impressionable. Rightfully, you could see the "emptiness" in his eyes.

Every character in "Neon Flesh" is as colorful as the next, and the story is coherently buoyed by Mario Casas who plays our protagonist Ricky. Casas is a persuasive presence. He captures Ricky intuitively. He is also consistent in depicting a conflicted hustler, and it helps that he's easy on the eyes. He imparts empathy from the opening sequence of the film right down to the high adrenaline conclusion when bullets fly through the walls of his Club Hiroshima. The scenarios in "Neon Flesh" isn't pretty. They filmed this Spanish flick in the seedy district of Distrito Federal in Buenos Aires (Argentina) yet the sparkling cinematography and unorthodox characters give off a vibrant atmosphere which refutes the pervading subjects of apathy, alienation and squandered morality.

The film reminds you of Almodovar and his crazy characters. While some scenes made me laugh so hard, specific moments also made me weep, i.e. Ricky coming home beaten and blue so he retires beside his sleeping mother like a child seeking solace. Watching "Neon Flesh" takes you in several levels of elucidation. One of the most palpable is how we perceive what is "normal" and what isn't. We aren't so different from the inscrutable populace that habitate Ricky's world. Everyone needs a slice of affirmation from someone we care. And it isn't such a bad thing trying to attain it. Who knows, we might succeed.

Ricky, the hustler, and Angelito, the pimp.

Macarena Gomez plays Angelito's junkie girlfriend

A police chief's daughter gets abducted in the name of vengeance.

Mario Casas smolders. He reminds me of Kyle Chandler ("Early Edition" TV series) and Ryan Reynold's boyish charms.

Mario Casas is a relative newbie. He started in 2010. The year after, he won an award in Spain for being the "most searched personality in the Spanish internet."

Mario Casas personifies the word "sexy".

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Nacho Vigalondo's Extraterrestrial - Romance and Alien Invasion

Slam bang science fiction adventure? Try romantic comedy.

Julio (Julian Villagran) wakes up naked on a bed in an unfamiliar room. He finds a beautiful girl, moving around anxious of his presence, and he thinks she could be the girl of his dreams. Her name - Julia (Michelle Jenner)! When he finally comes around his disorientation, he realizes that they've had a crazy night in a bar and ended up in her flat. Of course, he claims his memory of the past night was all out of his pocket. He couldn't find his pants. "Try the living room," she says. This pretty girl is framed by her petite frame, brown hair and soulful eyes... and she's anxious.

When he's about to leave, he meets Angel (Carlos Areces), the creepy next door neighbor who "stalks" Julia. Something unsettling unravels. He knew something. In fact, Angel's ears were probably glued on his walls, listening to Julio and Julio's cries of desire all night. Julia invites Angel over for breakfast to feign normalcy of the situation. "This is...what's your name again?" she talks to Julio. "He fainted and I had to take him here to rest," she tells Angel, but the latter is aware of the ruse. What is more urgent is the fact that most of the city (Madrid) has been evacuated. A spaceship that spans 4 miles hover over the metropolis. The streets that used to be congested is now eerily deserted. All phone lines have been cut; communication signals don't work - except for a UHF channel run by a sniveling megalomaniac moron. The government has cordoned the area under the air-borne ship. It is the holocaust, or so it seems! But where are the alien invaders?

Then they get a knock on the door. Carlos (Raul Cimas), Julia's husband, arrives - after walking 8 1/2 hours from Escorial. Suddenly, Julio understands Julia's anxiety. He realizes his need to leave. What becomes of his romantic feelings towards the girl?

Julio and Julia

Director Nacho Vigalondo comes up with a follow up to his brilliant, but twisty sci-fi chiller, "Timecrimes" which I saw at the Spanish Film Festival a few years ago. The film departs from the usual adrenaline action associated with such apocalyptic premise. In fact, we never see a single alien character. Vigalondo mostly confines his characters in a room, paranoid of the goings on around a city supposedly invaded by extraterrestrial beings. It also becomes a compelling character study of human nature: the devoted and trusting husband, the unfaithful and seduced wife; the infatuated other-man; and the desperate stalker who's angry at Julio for getting the girl of his dreams in the sack - while he could only listen and watch.

This is also a morality tale. It spotlights what a little white lie can do to push a bad situation spiraling down into events far worse than an alien invasion. Julian Villagran sizzles as the lovestruck industrial engineer (minus the degree). His emotions are too palpable, he endears without excessive emotionality. Michelle Jenner works hard for a part that requires indecision, anxiety, doubt, affection and paranoia - that to me is a tall order. But what's really different is how we find ourselves laughing intermittently as Julia, Julio, and Carlos deal with the disgruntled neighbor Angel. This is clearly an effective comedy, yet you never see them work as hard as Eugene Domingo, thus the laughs come out spontaneously. There are moments of unease as you are made aware that infidelity isn't such a romantic notion. But then you cannot deny those giggly moments of slight brushes of fingers, stolen glances - and, yes, a quick humping on the couch! Bad, bad Julio and Julia!

Spanish cinema once again shows us how good films are made.

Rumor has it that this film is already being re-done for its Hollywood version... with Tom Cruise, no less playing Julio! I am good with that! After all, "Vanilla Sky" wasn't a bad remake of "Abre de los Ojos". Right, Penelope Cruz?