South from Granada (2003)

One of my all time favorites.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

This movie is the cinematographic transposition of a beautiful autobiographic work: British writer (and historian) Gerald Brenan wrote a very sincere piece about his six years in the Alpujarras and everything shown in the picture is true, including people's names or the birth of his Spanish daughter Miranda Helen.The film, which is very nice, focuses on Brenan's story and doesn't show a great deal of the Alpujarras, which is a pity.Educated readers however could draw an interesting comparison between the present title and 'Tortilla Flat' or its sequels. Both Steinbeck's and Brenan's works (which are contemporary) describe Anglo/American people living in a Spanish/Mexican environment but besides what these stories have in common, Steinbeck's ones are fictional while Brenan's is real. And someone could actually dislike how the Englishman behave: I personally think he was too young. Being older and more experienced, maybe he would have made other choices.

Spanish Dramedy (Drama and comedy) set in the 20s with emotion , humor , fun , amusing situations and nice players . In 1919 , a drifter as well as novice writer , Gerald Brenann, a Brit young of noble family arrives in Yegen, a village in Alpujarras from Granada province . There he meets some villagers and then rents a house for a year . Gerard is a writer and poet and has a few money as well as a love of reading and writing . His objective is loneliness and writing , having a lot of books as only company . He's soon the center of attention from his maid , María (Trujillo) , who has a marriageable daughter , Angeles (Bebe); from Paco (Guillermo Toledo) , a man who decides to guide Gerald in the ways of the village and of love ; from the village's priest (Antonio Resines) , his hidden lover (Angela Molina) , her friend who loves St. Teresa , and , from Juliana (Veronica Sanchez) , a gorgeous adolescent who baths nude herself by the river . This comedy/drama contains a romantic love story , social habits , humor , entertainment and including some nudism with strong love scenes . This is a slightly funny film with entertaining events , giggles , emotion , an enjoyable love story and touching scenes at its final part . The film moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable , with more traps the viewer resists any kind, and some moments of enjoyment and others quite a few embarrassing with some absurdities and implausibilities . The flick gives a short description about rural lives of low-classes in the twenties . This is a typical Spanish comedy from the 2000s with the usual ingredients such as agreeable humor , villagers customs , relationships among people . The roles in this film are all lovable despite being rather pathetic and unfortunate . Our starring Gerald must sort out his feelings and face down the machinations of the village's women , who map a future he doesn't want . The picture also explores the complex relationship among known Brit artists such as Ralph Partridge (Laurence Fox) , Dora Carrington (Jessica Kate Meyer) , Lytton Strachey (James Fleet) , issue formerly dealt in the film ¨Carrington¨ . The flick attempts to spread optimism about the events of life , friendship and love , with its amusing sides but also including some risks . The film deals with the relationship between Spanish and Anglo Saxon youth , including language problems , a topic also treated by the director in other films such as ¨Linea Del Cielo¨ , ¨Efecto Mariposa¨ and ¨Los Años Barbaros ¨ . Sympathetic performances from protagonist duo who provides a considerable boost to the result , such as Matthew Goode as the subsequent famous author Gerald Brennan and Veronica Sanchez , a teen beauty who's the daughter of a witch . Likable support cast gives good acting such as Guillermo Toledo , Bebe , Consuelo Trujillo , Mariano Peña , Ángela Molina , Mariana Cordero , Antonio Resines , among others . A well acted, so so crafted, movie that should be considered as a return in form to the typical Spanish comedy of yesteryear . The picture achieved Goya prizes for Best Original Score , Juan Bardem , and nominated for Best Production Supervision Goya Best New Actress , Verónica Sánchez , and Best Cinematography , José Luis Alcaine and Best Special Effects , Reyes Abades. Atmospheric and appropriate musical score by the notorious Juan Bardem , a magnificent composer who has composed a lot of films . Furthermore , a colorful and evocative cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine who was first cinematographer to use fluorescent tube as "key" lightning and deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameramen . Alcaine frequently works with Pedro Almodóvar , Bigas Luna and Vicente Aranda , as he has photographed ¨The skin I live in¨ , The bad education¨ , ¨Volver¨ , ¨Women in the verge of a nervous breakdown¨, among others . Here he shows splendidly the impressive landscapes from Alpujarras . The motion picture was professionally written and directed Fernando Colomo . Fernando Colomo was born in Madrid and is a talented and versatile writer/director who has made a vast array of often solid and entertaining films in all kind of genres as comedy, drama and one science fiction movie (1985 El caballero del Dragón) in a career that spans over 30 years . Especially known for directing comedies such as 1987 La Vida Alegre , 1988 Miss Caribe , 1989 Bajarse al Moro , 1993 Rosa Rosae , 1994 Alegre Ma Non Troppo , 1995 Efecto Mariposa . And in the 2000s directed Al Sur Granada (2003) , El Próximo Oriente (2006), Rivales (2008) and La Banda Picasso (2012) .

This time I've seen a bad film, the history is not interesting, it is really boring. In addition, actors don't do any good play, they all seem too much uncomfortable with their papers and the directing is not good. Despite that, the description of a southern Spanish town of the 30's is not bad, and it saves the film to receive a worse mark. Theorically the story is about a English man that wants to be a writer and goes to Granada to have inspiration, there, he crashes with the strange town behavior which he is not used to. Of course, he finally falls in love and all these things. Unfortunately this is not a Meg Ryan's film so the story is not well told to us, nor the crash of cultures (and nothing). Personally, I've seen much better films, so, unless you like the director I should recommend not to see this film (if you like the director, you can, but I think that this is his worst work).

I have to say that finally I see a Fernando Colomo's movie that I like. "Al sur de Granada" is beautifully filmed, has a nice pace and contains superb acting. The recreation of beginning of the century Alpujarras is convincing, the characters credible and the plot engaging.