Nobody's Life (2002)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

That was an excellent one.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Dramatic film about an eternal lie proceeded by Emilio Barrero (Jose Coronado) , a successful man and allegedly banker , he has a good job at Bank of Spain , a luxury house , a lovely wife (Adriana Ozores) and a son who admires him ; but he has built his image around a lie that has been deceived for many years . He's about to turn 40 and his family along with his friend couple (Roberto Alvarez , Laura Conejero) prepare a surprise party . However , they take their surprise when they find out that Emilio is not the man who appears to be , and it all began with a little white lie until a tragic and twisted finale .An impressively crafted , well-played drama , founded on a perfectly calibrated screenplay whose emotional grip tightens as it proceeds . Debut director Eduard Cortés, from the world of television , where he has extensive experience as a director of TV3 regional channel . Cortés, also writer, was inspired by the true story of Jean-Claude Romand, who in 1993 murdered his family, which he held for 18 years deceived into believing that he was a successful doctor. An unfortunate incident brought to life in two films : 'El Empleo del Tiempo' or 'Time Out'' and 'El Adversario' or 'The Adversary' . The film has a first part key comedy almost to end leading to a dark tragedy . The protagonist of this great deception , Emilio Barrero , is well starred by José Coronado, who appears with Adriana Ozores and Marta Etura , both of whom nominated for a Goya for their perfect acting . Jose Coronado is simply awesome , he steals the show as a pathological liar with dark secrets , ten years later he achieved a hit smash with "No Rest for the Wicked" . The picture deservedly had winner best actress in Valladolid Film Festival and Goya Award Nominee to best new director , best actress and best new actress . Agreeable support cast gives nice acting as Roberto Alvarez , Eduardo Marchi and Laura Conejero . Colorful photography with juicy atmosphere , being filmed in Madrid by Jose Luis Alcaine , Pedro Almodovar's usual, deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameraman . Lively and atmospheric musical score by Xavier Capellas , he is a good musician who has composed superb jobs . Well produced by Enrique Cerezo and Pedro Costa , the latter a fine producer expert on renditions based on true events such as ¨Huella Del Crimen¨, ¨Crimen Cine Oriente¨ , ¨Casa en Afueras¨ , ¨Redondela¨ , ¨Caso Almeria ¨ and of course this ¨La Vida de Nadie¨ or "Nobody's Life" International , English title . The motion picture was professionally directed by Eduard Cortes , being his first film , though has realized several TV episodes for known series and subsequently shooting other films as Ingrid , Los Pelayo and Atraco . The motion picture will like to trio protagonist fans , Jose Coronado , Marta Etura and Adrian Ozores ; all of them make an excellent work . Rating : Better than average , worthwhile watching .

Of course, how could he. He obviously co-opted several aspects from that excellent movie, which was also based on the sensational French case of the self-described "doctor in the World Health Organization" who murdered his family and himself when finally unmasked as a fraud. Emilio refers to his son as "monster," he sings to the radio in his car, he hangs out on park benches, and he specializes in investment schemes to defraud his family and friends -- all of this and more directly lifted from "Time Out," which came out the year before "Nobody's Life." It's too bad because this movie is pretty good on its own, with good acting and writing. Whereas Vincent from "Time Out" is a much more subtle character who seems to have a sense of ethics even though at times it gets twisted into knots, the protagonist here seems devoid of any character at all save for his winning looks and charm. Seriously, the part where he used X-rays that show his mother-in-law's cancer to bilk more money from his father, then utilizes a subtle twist on the same scam to avoid eviction from his fancy home for failing to pay the lease on time -- it's almost too much. The guy has no shame whatsoever, In fact, he's more like the lead in "Stepfather" than some poor schmuck who gets fired and is so humiliated that he can't face the disappointment of his family and friends and feels forced to invent a shiny new life for himself, as Vincent did in "Time Out." Thus, one could feel the tension mounting in "Nobody's Life" and the violent conclusion coming. One thing "Nobody's Life" has that "Time Out" definitely lacked was a love interest apart from the protagonist's trusting wife. It's not hard to understand how the sexy babysitter was able to fascinate and ensnare Emile to the degree that he ignored the danger of her natural curiosity and allowed it to lay bare his less than carefully constructed con. Given the reservations mentioned, this is a pretty good movie that we found entertaining. If you long for something touching on similar elements that goes a might deeper and is more intellectually and spiritually satisfying, I strongly suggest "Time Out."

I suppose this movie is not your typical Spanish thriller as it is based in a real story that took place abroad. The movie is based in the real story of French man Jean-Claude Romand, and the real case is much more gory and scary than the film. In the real story of Mr. Romand the family didn't escape, after years of lies he decided to end it all by killing his wife, two children, parents and dog, and although he tried to kill himself, it seems he didn't try very hard as he survived. I watched the movie with people next to me talking about how it could never happen in real life that all these lies went undetected, I was laughing as I had read the book about Mr. Romand, and knew it did happen. I like José Coronado in this movie, he offered us a good performance, as the rest of the crew.

It kept me on the edge of my seat. True, the story has a few plot holes, but the sheer tension of it, the way the director just keeps challenging the premise is simply fascinating.José Coronado and Adriana Ozores are two of Spain's best actors (see La vida mancha and Héctor) and here they appear as a happy upper-middle class couple. Beneath it all, the truth is that all of Coronado's life is a lie. He's not an economist, never went to college or does not work in Spain's Central Bank Reserve, as everybody else believes. We get a few insights as to how he kept up appearances or manage to do it, and while not very plausible it is still somehow believable.The inner-workings of the scam are shown intermittently, but it is credible because Coronado is a source of self-assurance and assertiveness. He not only believes in the scam, he also believes in the film premise, and therefore he carries it.Sure, it tests belief that a wife would not know the inner workings of a marriage's finances for almost 10 years, but again, since he's supposedly a brilliant economist.It has been said, in a nationalistic tone, that the movie is not "distinctively Spanish", as if that were a litmus test for good film. True, no castanets or odd cabbies in this one, just a taut thriller. You'll want to know how this story ends once you start watching.