First let me say that I didn't approach this film with any bias. I think Javier Bardem is a great actor and I liked Amenabar's "Thesis" very much. I don't have a fixed opinion on euthanasia and I intend to judge this film's quality, not its ideology. That said...
Is it just me, or the script sucks? It's full of clichés and platitudes. Given such a controversial topic, it should have been quite original, with at least two or three twists and turns. Instead, all we get is:
"I wanna die, I wanna die, I wanna die." "Maybe you don't wanna die because of (insert cliché here)." "Hum... No, I wanna die, I wanna die, I wanna die."
And what's with the actors? Rueda is absolutely contrived, she acts like she's playing Blanche from "The Streetcar", an old diva with mannerisms. Bardem? I usually love the guy, but here he made me want to puke after his thirtieth fake smile in half an hour. The only actor I can truly commend is the one who plays his brother. He's marvelous, but he's got too little screen time. The nephew is also good, but his role is not that demanding.
Amenabar knows how to direct a movie, but his work here is uninspired. I gave the film a vote of 6 because of some great cinematography. Still, a few sweeping shots over beautiful countryside are not enough to make me like this film or recommend it to anyone.
Is it just me, or the script sucks? It's full of clichés and platitudes. Given such a controversial topic, it should have been quite original, with at least two or three twists and turns. Instead, all we get is:
"I wanna die, I wanna die, I wanna die." "Maybe you don't wanna die because of (insert cliché here)." "Hum... No, I wanna die, I wanna die, I wanna die."
And what's with the actors? Rueda is absolutely contrived, she acts like she's playing Blanche from "The Streetcar", an old diva with mannerisms. Bardem? I usually love the guy, but here he made me want to puke after his thirtieth fake smile in half an hour. The only actor I can truly commend is the one who plays his brother. He's marvelous, but he's got too little screen time. The nephew is also good, but his role is not that demanding.
Amenabar knows how to direct a movie, but his work here is uninspired. I gave the film a vote of 6 because of some great cinematography. Still, a few sweeping shots over beautiful countryside are not enough to make me like this film or recommend it to anyone.