Spanish Film Festival

With The Orphanage on general release and not showing until next week, I thought I'd do a quick summary of my thoughts on the three films I caught at this year's Viva! Film Festival at The Cornerhouse. The science-fiction thriller Cronocrimenes is a charming movie not dissimilar to the 2004 U.S. indie Primer in that they manage to convey the complexities of time-travel on a small budget and with minimal special effects. A particularly fine performance from Karra Elejalde as Hector, although the storyline is a bit weak and predictable in parts.

La Soledad , winner of two Goyas, is a much starker prospect. A tale of isolation and grief while living in close proximity to family and friends. Certain aspects reminded me of Hidden, particularly the slow build to a single moment of violence and the often voyeuristic experience implied by the splitscreen and lack of camera movement in the film's fatal moments.

Fimally, in a full Cinema 3 ( I think we had the overspill from Gael Garcia Bernal's film upstairs), was the documentary Lucio. The tale of Lucio Urtubia, a Spanish anarchist living in Paris who, during the 60's and 70's, did his best to undermine the world banking system through forgery. A fascinating story, if a little difficult to keep up with at times because of the editing, Urtubia still shows to this day the wit and the charm that got him out of so many scrapes during his eventful life. Although people tend not to clap during or at the end of films, something I've experienced a couple of times at The Cornerhouse after documentaries, one person behind me did let out a little cheer when they showed Franco in his coffin.