The Blind Sunflowers (2008)

I love this movie so much

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Absolutely Brilliant!

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This is a decent Spanish post-war drama. It's nothing really special but the acting is good, the writing is fine, and it's a well constructed and well done film. I wish there were more surprises and parts of it dragged but it's definitely worth watching if you don't mind "foreign films" with re-dubs or subtitles, they don't bother me so much but I know others hate reading while trying to watch visuals.

It is set in 1940 Orense , Galicia , there appears a Seminarist , Salvador : Raúl Arevalo , who has participated in the Spanish Civil War and has a dark past as a soldier . Salvador comes to a school to teach kiddies , one of them is Lorenzo : Roger Princep . The little boy Lorenzo lives with his mother Elena , Maribel Verdu , and his hidden father Ricardo : Javier Cámara , who is locked at home attempting to avoid be chased . Furthermore , their daughter Elena : Irene Escolar , about to escape with Lalo : Martiño Rivas , a pursued communist.Intense drama dealing with the consequences of Spanish war (1936-39) about an undercover family whose father is living hidden at a flat , as he is pursued by the Francoist authorities . This one turns out to be another film upon Civil War and Francisco Franco period , usual themes in Spanish Film history . Last screenplay by the great Rafael Azcona considered to be the best writer of the Spaniard cinema and based on a successful novel by Alberto Méndez . The cast gives acceptable interpretations as Raul Arevalo as a confused priest who arrives in Orense after fighting in the war front , Javier Cámara as a professor who spends several years hidden at home attempting to flee from an obstinate persecution . Maribel Verdú delivers a passable interpretation , but overacting at times , she suggested Raúl Arévalo for the main character . There are interesting scenes , especially the provoking dialog between Salvador/Raúl Arevalo , and the priest/Jose Angel Egido . However , some scenes between Arevalo and Maribel Verdú result to be embarrassing . Both of them do not deliver the necessary chemical . In addition , the secondary plot line about the young daughter and her lover does not fit to script . Evocative settings , being perfectly set in its period . Colorful and atmospheric cinematography by Hans Burmann . The great cameraman Hans Burmann has a long career from the sixties to present-day, including successes as ¨Bearn¨ , ¨Guantanamera¨ , ¨Rey Pasmado¨ , ¨Gitanos¨ , ¨Open you eyes¨ and ¨Tesis¨. Emotive and sensitive musical score by Lucio Godoy.The motion picture ¨The blind sunflowers¨ (international title) was professional but regularly directed by José Luis Cuerda , and it was Spain's 2009 Academy Awards official submission to Foreign-Language Film category. It won several Goya Awards 2009 as Goya Best Adapted Screenplay : Rafael Azcona , José Luis Cuerda , Goya Best Lead Actor : Raúl Arévalo , Best Lead Actress : Maribel Verdú , Best Supporting Actor José Ángel Egido , Best New Actor : Martiño Rivas , Best Director : José Luis Cuerda , Best Cinematography : Hans Burmann , Best Editing : Nacho Ruiz Capillas , Best Production Design : Balter Gallart . And Spanish Actors Union won : Performance in a Minor Role, Male : José Ángel Egido . And Cartagena Film Festival 2009 won Golden India Catalina Best Director : José Luis Cuerda and Best Supporting Actor : Roger Príncep . Besides , Cinema Writers Circle Awards , Spain 2009 CEC Award Best Actress : Maribel Verdú . José Luis Cuerda is a veteran craftsman , being his film debut ¨Pares Y Nones¨ , a typical Madrid comedy . He subsequently directed ¨El Bosque Animado¨ that achieved enough success . He followed directing flops as ¨Viuda De Capitán Estrada and ¨Tocando Fondo¨ . His biggest hit was ¨Amanece Qué No es Poco¨ and its sequel ¨Así En El Cielo Cómo En La Tierra¨.

A Spanish post-war drama directed by Jose Luis Cuerda and based on the novel of Alberto Mendez of the same title.The story is set in the Spanish city of Orense, in Northern Spain, in the 1940s, and tells the story of a family of communists struggling to survive after the victory of the fascists in 1939. The father Ricardo -played by Javier Camera- declared dead, lives hidden in the family basement with his subversive and prohibited books, and types works on his wife's behalf to earn some money. The mother, Elena -played by Maribel Verdu- lives and acts as a widow who makes ends meet by sewing and typing. Their teenage daughter Elenita and her boyfriend Lalo -played by Irene Escolar and Martin Rivas- are involved in guerrilla activities but try to escape the country, while child Lorenzo -played by Roger Princep- goes to the children school in town. There, Gonzalo gets the eye of Fr Salvador -played by Raul Arevalo- a seminarian and fascist ex-soldier who feels immediately attracted to Elena.The script is mediocre with stereotypical characters, predictable plot and events, and, most importantly, without emotion or heart. A soulless movie despite telling a story that should be moving and thought-provoking, and it ends being just pretentious. Nothing new in the exploration of the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.Regarding the acting, Maribel Verdú and Javier Camera do not believe what they are playing, and their performances are mediocre, much below their acting abilities and quality. Raul Arevalo is good in his portray of the confused tempted priest. The rest of the supporting actors are OK in their roles, but child Roger Princep was awful to watch.There is nothing excellent or memorable about the film, just mediocrity. To be honest, the things I liked the most about this film were its atmosphere, the views of the Orense's city, and the title. While watching this movie I thought of a similar movie which, instead, showed all what this lacked in this - the Butterfly's Tongue.Despite the script being so poor, perhaps because the novel was not, the scriptwriters won a Goya -the Spanish Oscar- to the best script in 2008. The movie was also selected to represent the Spanish cinema in the Oscars in the same year, but did not make the final cut.

Once again, the postwar period is used as stage for a good movie with magnificent actors who turn it into a big one, giving life to prominent figures who fight to survive, trying to give sense to their acts, no matter what. It is true that Javier Cámara's jump turns out to be artificial, maybe because he does not spread himself in dramatic quality and goes to the practical thing, but Maribel Verdú, in her better moment of the movie, reduces the fault completely. We have an adaptation that focuses on the conflict of one of the main characters of the original tale. The totally corrupted by the war morality of the religious man (something that reminds me to the soldier men of In Elah's Valley) If they had focused, for example, on the confinement of the husband, we would have another thing, better or worse, we do not know it, but it would be already another story. By the way, the child asks this question because he does not see the suicide. Is just the woman who runs towards the room when the husband says goodbye.