Orange Honey (2012)

Pretty Good

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Downbeat and sad drama with intrigue set post Spanish Civil War about the relationships between a distressed soldier , a lieutenant-colonel along with his niece . Henry or Enrique (Iban Garate) carries out his military service as a Judge assistant , as he is the underling to a nasty lieutenant-colonel called Don Eladio (Karra Elejalde) . At the same time Enrique is boyfriend to the beautiful Carmen (Blanca Suárez) , Don Eladio's niece . Enrique grows tired of witnessing injustices , and he engages in dangerous actions with the freedom fighters , attempting to flee inmates from imprisonment and executing other risked undercover activities . Intense drama set in the fifties , dealing with the consequences of Spanish war (1936-39) about a soldier whose family has been deceased during the bloody war and his mother is living at an asylum , and meanwhile communists and undercover resistance are pursued by the Francoist authorities . The flick can be defined as a realistic drama , a romantic story , a historic fresco and a social-political fable . This one turns out to be another film upon Civil War and Francisco Franco period , usual themes in Spanish Film history . But the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this sometimes slow-moving tale . The main cast gives so-so interpretations as a the unknown Iban Garate as a confused soldier who arrives in a military tribunal and Blanca Suarez as a gorgeous young woman who falls for him . There are interesting scenes , especially the provoking dialog between the stiff-upper-lip colonel/Elejalde and his subordinate soldier . However , some scenes between Iban Garate and Blanca Suarez result to be embarrassing . Both of them do not deliver the necessary chemical . Support cast is frankly excellent , plenty of familiar faces who give magnificent performances , such as : Eduard Fernández , Carlos Santos , Nora Navas , José Manuel Poga , Antonio Dechent , Ángela Molina and Bárbara Lennie . Special mention for Karra Elejalde as Don Eladio , providing an awesome -though histrionic , overacting at times - acting . Evocative settings , being perfectly set in its period . Colorful and atmospheric cinematography by Gonzalo F. Berridi . This great cameraman has photographed successes as ¨Airbag¨, ¨8 Apellidos Vascos¨, ¨Amantes Circulo Polar¨, ¨ Camaron¨, ¨Plenilunio¨ , ¨Ardilla Roja¨ , among others . Being shot on various locations in Linares De La Sierra , Huelva , Andalucía , Toledo , Castilla-La Mancha , Jerez De La Frontera, Cádiz , Andalucía and Madrid . This ¨Miel De Narajas¨ achieved several awards , as 5 wins and 2 nominations , such as : Montréal World Film Festival 2012 Won Special Grand Prize of the Jury Imanol Uribe , Nominated Grand Prix des Amériques Imanol Uribe ; Málaga Spanish Film Festival 2012 Won Silver Biznaga Best Director Imanol Uribe , Best New Screenwriter Remedios Crespo , Won Special Mention Best Supporting Actress Ángela Molina ; Nantes Spanish Film Festival 2013 Won Audience Award : Imanol Uribe . "Orange Honey" or ¨Miel De Naranjas¨ was professionally directed by Imanol Uribe , though has some flaws and resulted to get a flop at Spanish Box office . Uribe who lived and had a son with actress María Barranco , gained fame early in his career for his controversial socio-political portraits of the Basque people such as ¨Fuga Segovia¨, ¨Muerte Mikel¨ and he turned to thriller as ¨Adios Pequeña¨, ¨Running out of time¨ , ¨Plenilunio¨ , ¨Carta Esferica¨ and drama as ¨Bwana¨ , ¨Rey Pasmado¨ and ¨Extraños¨ ; and also made another Civil War film titled ¨Ciudadano Negrin¨.