The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

Among one of the finest figures in Spanish cinema, Alejandro Amenabar is a filmmaker who arrived during a new wave of Spanish filmmakers to emerge in the 1990s. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Amenabar is a filmmaker who delves into stories of struggle and darkness whether it’s those dealing with death or those dealing with the ideas of death itself. Even as they’re presented with a sense of style and intrigue that lesser filmmakers wouldn’t dare to do. With a long-awaited return in 2015 with the genre that had made him a major name in cinema, Amenabar is still considered one of Spain’s great filmmakers.

Born in Santiago, Chile on March 31, 1972 to Hugo Ricardo Amenabar and Josefina Cantos, Alejandro Fernando Amenabar Cantos was the youngest of two sons that included his brother Ricardo born three years earlier as the young Amenabar spent a year living in Santiago before he and the family moved to Madrid, Spain where his mother was born. After a few years, the family moved to the nearby Paracuellos de Jarama near Madrid where the young Amenabar became interested in books and art at an early age. While the family never had a television, Amenabar would often go to the cinema where he would discover films as he would become a student at Madrid’s Complutense University. Though he didn’t finish school, he would meet several individuals who would become key fixtures in his career such as writer Mateo Gil, news journalist Carlos Montero, and a young actor in Eduardo Noriega.

More can be read here at Cinema Axis.

© thevoid99 2016

Regression

Written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar, Regression is the story of a detective who investigates a sexual abuse case made by a 17-year old girl against her father who has no recollection of what had happened. The film is an exploration into the world of child abuse as well as fact vs. fiction over what really happened as it relates to Satanic cults. Starring Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis, Aaron Ashmore, Devon Bostick, Dale Dickey, Lothaire Bluteau, Peter MacNeil, and David Dencik. Regression is an intriguing yet extremely messy film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Set in 1990 at a small town in Minnesota, the film revolves around a detective who investigates the sexual abuse of a 17-year old girl who claimed to have been sexually abused by her father. In the course of the investigation with the aid of a local psychiatrist, Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) learns that some of the abuse involve Satanic rituals as the case becomes complicated with Kenner getting too close. It’s a film that plays into a man trying to see what had happened while he interrogates this girl’s father to see if he really did anything. Once Kenner asks Angela Gray (Emma Watson) about what had happened and some of the things she revealed, Kenner would start to see things as if there is a Satanic cult in this small town.

Alejandro Amenabar’s script does create some compelling ideas about sexual abuse and regressed memories but once the story begins to include these ideas of Satanic rituals. It starts to lose focus on what is really going on and the aspects of the suspense and mystery starts to lose itself. Especially when Kenner and Professor Kenneth Raines (David Thewlis) begin to interrogate members of Angela’s family including her father John (David Dencik) who turned himself in to the police claiming he did something to his daughter. Once other members of Angela’s family such as her grandmother Rose (Dale Dickey) is questioned about her possible role in Satanic rituals, things definitely become confusing about what is truth and what is fiction. Especially as the most rational character in the film in Professor Raines begins to be sort of a Greek chorus of sorts about what is really going on and wonders if any of it is true.

Amenabar’s direction definitely has a unique sense of atmosphere in terms of its setting while it is shot largely in Toronto and other parts of Canada. Even in his approach to compositions as it plays into the dramatic elements such as the conversations between Kenner and Raines where they try to make sense of everything. Amenabar would also use some close-ups and medium shots to create some intimate moments as well as some scenes that play into Kenner talking to Angela and getting her to talk. The scenes which involve these Satanic rituals are meant to be scary but a lot of it ends up being very silly. By the time the film moves into its third act, more questions get raised as it relates to the hysteria of these accusations of Satanic rituals which does lead to a twist in the third act that doesn’t just kill whatever intrigue the film had. It also leads to an overdrawn ending as it related to regressed memories as well as how faith can distort reality. Overall, Amenabar creates an interesting but very troubled film about a sexual abuse case with elements of Satanic rituals.

Cinematographer Daniel Aranyo does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of bluish imagery for many of the film‘s daytime exterior scenes along with some intricate lighting for scenes set at night. Editor Carolina Martinez Urbina does some fine work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts though its attempt to create suspense with its fast-cuts don‘t really work as it makes it too obvious. Production designer Carol Spier, with set decorator Friday Myers and art director Elinor Rose Galbraith, does nice work with the look of the Gray family home as well as the church where Angela is staying at. Costume designer Sonia Grande does terrific work with the clothes as it’s mostly casual with the exception of the black robes the Satanists wear.

The visual effects work of Carlos Adarraga and Ezequiel Larru is good for some of the scenes in the Satanic ritual sequences as it plays into this blur of reality and fiction. Sound designer Gabriel Gutierrez does superb work with the sound to help play into the suspense and drama as well as scenes of horror. The film’s music by Roque Banos is pretty good for some of the orchestral-based music of the film that delves into the drama and suspense though it feels overdone at times.

The casting by Jina Jay and Jason Knight is amazing for the group of actors that are assembled though many are either caricatures or aren’t given much to do. Notable small performances from Adam Butcher and Kristian Bruun as a couple of local cops and Aaron Abrams as a detective named Farrell have their moments while Aaron Ashmore is alright as a cop who is accused of being part of the Satanic cult. Peter MacNeil is terrific as the local police chief who tries to deal with the attention over what is happening though he is severely underwritten. Devon Bostick is good as Angela’s older brother Roy who has been estranged from the family for mysterious reasons as he is confronted by Kenner and Raines where he would reveal some eerie family secrets. Dale Dickey is fantastic as Angela’s grandmother Rose as a woman who may be in denial over what happened as she copes with the chaos that is surrounding her family.

David Dencik is superb as Angela’s father John as a man who turns himself in to the police at the beginning of the film as he becomes unsure of what he did as he is consumed by guilt over his actions. Lothaire Bluteau is alright as Reverend Murray as the local religious leader who has taken Angela in as he also confides in Kenner and Raines to rely on faith which annoys the latter. David Thewlis is brilliant as Professor Kenneth Raines as a psychiatrist who is trying to analyze Angela’s family as he believes something isn’t right while being the smartest guy in the film. Emma Watson is wonderful as Angela Gray as a 17-year old girl who claims to be sexually abused as well as revealing that her family is part of a Satanic cult where Watson has this air of innocence to her but the script doesn’t really do much for her which hinders some of her performance as well as her motivations in the film. Finally, there’s Ethan Hawke in a stellar yet flawed performance as Detective Bruce Kenner as a detective who gets too close into the case where Hawke overdoes it at times in someone who is determined to get things right while also making himself look foolish due to the demands of the script.

Regression is a very disappointing and messy film from Alejandro Amenabar. Despite an interesting subject on regressed memories, it’s a film that wanted to say a lot of things but ends up being very convoluted and idiotic at times with characters that end up looking foolish. In the end, Regression is a terrible film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Alejandro Amenabar Films: Thesis - Open Your Eyes - The Others - The Sea Inside - Agora - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

© thevoid99 2016

Thesis (1996 film)

Directed and scored by Alejandro Amenabar and written by Amenabar and Mateo Gil, Tesis (Thesis) is the story of a student who is writing a thesis on violence as her research leads her into a murder mystery involving snuff films. The film is a thriller that plays into one’s fascination with death as well as the culture of snuff films. Starring Ana Torrent, Fele Martinez, Eduardo Noriega, Xabier Elorriaga, and Miguel Picazo. Tesis is a provocative yet entrancing film from Alejandro Amenabar.

The film revolves around a college student who is trying to work on a thesis on audio/visual violence and humanity’s fascination with it as she becomes engrossed in the culture of snuff films following the death of her professor where she is aided by a film student who believes something is up about these films. It is a suspense-thriller that revolves around the culture of snuff films as a young woman deals with not just these mysterious deaths of these women but also who are involved with filming and keeping them secret. The film’s screenplay by Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil doesn’t just explore a woman’s fascination with violence despite her disdain for it but also this subculture where violent acts and deaths are being filmed for the pleasure of some. While the protagonist Angela (Ana Torrent) is interested in watching these films for her thesis as her professor recommends one of his students in Chema (Fele Martinez) to show some films to her.

Once her film professor in Figueroa (Miguel Picazo) dies mysteriously after supposedly watching one of these snuff films, Chema would watch it himself as he would make some big discoveries about not just some of the details but also the kind of cameras that were used. While there are suspects such as a former classmate of Chema in Bosco (Eduardo Noriega), Angela finds herself attracted to Bosco which confuses her while she is also confronted by her new professor Castro (Xabier Elorriaga) about the motivation of her thesis. Especially as Castro is someone that is telling his students about the idea of giving in towards commercialism instead of individual artistic pursuits to help the film industry in Spain. It adds to this conflict of sort that is happening throughout the story about what these snuff filmmakers want to provide but also to see if the public at large would want to see this in this twisted form of voyeurism.

Amenabar’s direction definitely plays with the conventions of suspense and drama while adding bits of humor into the film. Shot largely in Madrid at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the film does have an intimacy into some of the compositions where some of it features medium shots as well as a few wide shots to capture the space of the classrooms. Amenabar also creates some unique compositions from the scene where Angela and Chema first look at each other as they’re both listening to different music as it showcases how different they are. Yet, their interest in film is what brings them together though Chema is someone who is more of a guy that loves horror and gratuitous violence. The usage of video cameras and the look of the snuff films definitely add something that is quite gruesome as Amenabar plays off into the element of suspense as it includes a chase scene but also moments that blur the lines of reality and fiction. Even in scenes that play into a sense of terror such as the scene where Angela and Chema go into the school library and find this secret room.

Amenabar’s score would help play into the suspense and drama such as his piano-based themes that would be featured prominently in the chase scenes while he would create some low-key orchestral moments for the drama including the film’s climax. Especially as it features many twists and turns into who has been killing these women and is there more than just one killer where Angela is caught in the middle as she plays the Final Girl persona that is so prevalent in horror/suspense films. Yet, she is key into not just solving this mystery but also cope with the aftermath as it relates to her thesis and what she had been intending to say. Overall, Amenabar creates a thrilling yet captivating film about a woman’s study on violence and her introduction into the world of snuff films.

Cinematographer Hans Burman does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of lights for many of the interior scenes such as the boiler room and hallways where the secret tapes are at as well as some of the scenes set at night and the grainy look of the digital video that was used for the snuff films. Editor Maria Elena Sainz de Rozas does amazing work with the editing with its usage of fade-outs and jump-cuts for some of the suspenseful and dramatic moments as well as creating some offbeat cuts in some of the snuff films. Production designer Wolfgang Burmann does excellent work with the look of Chema‘s apartment home that is filled with horror posters and all sorts macabre imagery as well as the look of the secret place where the snuff films are hidden.

Costume designer Ana Cuerda does nice work with the costumes from the casual look of Angela to the more grungy look of Chema and the more refined look of Bosco. The sound work of Ricardo Steinberg is superb for the sound work that is created in some of the snuff films as well as scenes that play up into the suspenseful moments of the film.

The film’s fantastic cast include some notable small roles from Teresa Castanedo as a news broadcaster, Olga Margallo as the young woman shown in the snuff film, Paco Hernandez and Rosa Avila as Angela’s parents, Miguel Picazo as Angela’s old professor Figueroa, Nieves Herranz as Angela’s younger sister Sena, and Rosa Campillo in a wonderful performance as Bosco’s girlfriend Yolanda who reveals to Angela about the workshop that was part of the snuff films. Xabier Elorriaga is excellent as Professor Castro as the new head of the film department who tells his student to make films and give the audience what they want while being very suspicious about what Angela is wanting to say in her thesis.

Eduardo Noriega is brilliant as Bosco as this very good-looking student who is quite creepy as it plays into his own intentions but also someone who knows about what goes on in these workshops. Fele Martinez is amazing as Chema as a horror/action film buff with a love for violence who makes some key discoveries into the snuff films while being somewhat antagonistic towards Angela in her lack of knowledge on film violence. Finally, there’s Ana Torrent in a remarkable performance as Angela as this college student trying to finish a thesis on audio/visual violence as she finds a snuff film that her professor watched where she finds herself entangled in a murder mystery where it’s a performance that has Torrent display a restraint but also a unique interpretation of the Final Girl persona.

Tesis is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Amenabar. Featuring amazing performances from Ana Torrent, Fele Martinez, and Eduardo Noriega as well as a thrilling premise and exploration into the world of snuff films. The film is a thriller that manages to very gripping but also with a sense of wit. In the end, Tesis is a sensational film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Alejandro Amenabar Films: Open Your Eyes - The Others - The Sea Inside - Agora - Regression - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

© thevoid99 2016

The Others

Written, scored, and directed by Alejandro Amenabar, The Others is the story of a woman who lives in a remote home with her two children as they deal a series of odd events as it relates to the people coming into their home. The film is an unconventional haunted house film which relates to a woman and her children, who are sensitive to sunlight, as they ponder what is happening around them as well as those who had died in their home. Starring Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy, Eric Sykes, Alakina Mann, and James Bentley. The Others is a spellbinding yet eerie film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Set in the aftermath of World War II at a remote country estate in Jersey in Britain, the film revolves a devout Catholic woman who lives with her two photosensitive children as they hired a new staff at the home where they all deal with some strange things that are happening in the house. It’s a haunted house film that plays into a woman not just dealing with these strange events but doing whatever it takes to protect her children from sunlight. Still, it is no match for these strange events that are happening as the children claim that there’s ghosts in the house. Alejandro Amenabar’s screenplay not only explores the attempt by Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) to shield her children from the light as well as questions about the outside world. She also hopes to instill Roman Catholic faith into them so they can be protected from evil but it’s not enough to deal with the ghosts.

While Grace’s new maid Mrs. Bertha Mills (Fionnula Flanagan) knows something is up, she tries assure Grace that nothing serious is happening. Once the story progresses, it is clear that Mills along with the gardener Edmund Tuttle (Eric Sykes) and a young mute named Lydia (Elaine Cassidy) know something that Grace doesn’t know. Even as it alludes to why Grace’s husband Charles (Christopher Eccleston) hasn’t returned from the war. Amenabar’s script also play into the ideas of life after death where Grace’s children Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley) wonder about their father as well as the surroundings around them. While Anne is convinced that something is haunting them, Grace doesn’t believe it at first until a key moment as it play to who are the people inhabiting the house.

Amenabar’s direction doesn’t play to a lot of the conventions that is often expected in horror or in suspense-dramas. Yet, it does maintain an atmosphere of what is going on in the way Amenabar builds up the suspense while creating something that is dramatic with bits of humor. Amenabar’s direction would infuse some gorgeous imagery into his compositions from his usage close-ups and medium shots to play up the intimacy of the home as well as some unique tracking shots and camera angles to play into the home itself. The way Amenabar would move the camera for certain scenes such as the sounds of children crying and other things which helps play into Grace’s own suspicions and need to tend to her children. Though much of the film is set in Britain, some of the exteriors is shot in Northern Spain as it help plays into the world of the unknown in a sequence where Grace tries to walk to the church miles away.

The direction would also have some eerie moments that blur the lines between what is real and what is not where adding to that air of suspense is Amenabar’s score. While it is largely an orchestral score with string arrangements and a few piano pieces, it help plays into the drama while knowing how to build up the suspense and sense of terror. By the time the film reaches its third act, the terror does reach its apex as well as an astonishing reveal that does add a new tone to the film. Especially as it relate to not just the theme of death but also the concept of the afterlife and eternity. Overall, Amenabar creates a mesmerizing yet intoxicating film about a woman trying to protect her children from ghosts in her home.

Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography for its usage of natural lighting as well as low-key lighting for many of the interior scenes to help play up the lack of sunlight as well as scenes with sunlight as it is one of the film‘s major highlights. Editor Nacho Ruiz Capillas does excellent work with the editing as a lot of it is straightforward with some stylish cuts to play up the drama as well as the suspenseful moments. Production designer Benjamin Fernandez, with set decorators Emilio Ardura and Elli Griff, do amazing work with the look of the sets from the hallways as well as the rooms in the house to play up something that feels like a world that is old as well as out of step with the times.

Costume designer Sonia Grande does fantastic work with the costumes as many of the clothes the characters wear don’t showcase much color as it plays to the look of the film. Visual effects supervisor Felix Berges does nice work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects as it relates to some key moments in the film‘s third act. Sound designer Isabel Diaz Cassou does superb work with the sound to help create an atmosphere for what goes on at the house where it helps play into the suspense as well as some scenes that heighten up that sense of terror.

The casting by Shaheen Baig and Jina Jay is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Keith Allen, Michelle Fairley, Renee Asherson, and Alexander Vince as a group of people who could be the ghosts that are haunting the house. Elaine Cassidy is wonderful as the mute young maid Lydia who is always suspected of doing something while Grace wonders what made her mute in the first place. Eric Sykes is terrific as the gardener Edmund Tuttle as a man who always work outside while also helping Mills do some cover-up into what is really going on. Christopher Eccleston is excellent as Grace’s husband Charles who is missing from the family as he only appears briefly to serve as the one thing Grace is hoping for in her sheltered existence.

James Bentley and Alakina Mann are fantastic in their respective roles as Nicholas and Anne as the two children who deal with ghosts with Bentley as the younger of the two who is more scared over what is happening while Mann provides a showier role as someone who knows what is going on but is also just as scared. Fionnula Flanagan is amazing as Mrs. Bertha Mills as the new head maid of the house who knows a lot about the house as she also knows its secrets which she conceals from Grace. Finally, there’s Nicole Kidman in a remarkable performance as Grace Stewart as this very religious woman who is trying to protect her children at any cost as well as ponder the fate of her husband as it’s a performance of power but also terror where Kidman brings a lot of anguish into the performance which is one of her best.

The Others is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Amenabar that features a great performance from Nicole Kidman. Along with a brilliant ensemble cast as well as an engaging story, a fantastic score, and beautiful visuals. The film isn’t just a riveting haunted house film but also a fascinating study on the concepts of death and faith. In the end, The Others is a spectacular film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Alejandro Amenabar Films: Thesis - Open Your Eyes - The Sea Inside - Agora - Regression - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

© thevoid99 2015

The Sea Inside

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/3/10 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar and written by Amenabar and Mateo Gil, Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside) is the true story about a Spanish mechanic named Ramon Sampedro who became paralyzed following a diving accident as he wishes to die. The film is an exploration of a man trying to fight the right to die in the way he wanted with the help of family and friends in a 28-year campaign. With Javier Bardem playing the role of Sampedro, the film also stars Belen Rueda, Lola Duenos, and Mabel Rivera. Mar Adentro is a beautiful yet harrowing film from Alejandro Amenabar.

It’s the late 1990s in Spain as a lawyer named Julia (Belen Rueda) is called upon by Gene` (Clara Segura) to meet Ramon Sampedro. Sampedro was a Spanish mechanic who one day, nearly died in the late 60s in a diving accident that left him paralyzed. Julia talks with Sampedro while getting to know his family including his sister-in-law/caregiver Manuela (Mabel River), his older brother Jose (Celso Bugallo), nephew Javier (Tamar Novas), and father Joaquin (Joan Dalmau). Gene` runs an organization to support euthanasia in Spain as she and her husband Marc (Francesc Garrido) is a lawyer that is also helping out. With Julia exploring Ramon’s demands to end his life but with dignity. He also reveals the things he wished he could still do without being in a paraplegic state that shows more reasons.

Hearing about the news is a woman named Rosa (Lola Duenos) who visits Ramon as she learns about his plight though isn’t sure about his reasons to die. Rosa makes visits and help things around while Julia writes a book about Ramon as during one of her visits, she collapses. It is revealed that she is dying of a disease where she was walking with a cane but now has to be on a wheelchair. With Julia now more understanding and why Ramon chose her, she takes part on his cause while a paraplegic priest in Padre Francisco (Jose Maria Pou) is making arguments against Ramon. With the Sampedro family divided over Ramon’s decision, Francisco makes a visit to the family home as the two with the help of one of Francisco’s associates (Alberto Amarilla) as their discussion comes to a standstill with Manuela angry at Padre Francisco.

With Julia’s illness worsening and Ramon having to go to a city to make his case. Everyone including Rosa helps Ramon to make his plea while he is dealing with other issues including Rosa’s own conflicted feelings about euthanasia. With Ramon’s story now published for the world to read, he makes a plan in case the court doesn’t go with his demands with the help of Rosa and his family as Ramon hopes to go out with the way he wants to leave.

Euthanasia is a subject that definitely will divide audiences on whether it should happen or not. Yet, the film isn’t entirely about euthanasia but rather a man wanting to die with dignity along with the people around him trying to deal with his wishes. Yet, affected by Ramon’s wishes to die are two women in the center of it in Julia and Rosa. Julia is a woman who is plagued by a disease that would affect her in which she would fully understand with Ramon’s wish to die. Rosa is the other side as a woman, though living through lots of hardship, is more of an optimist who is trying to understand why Ramon wants to die. Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gill both create a mesmerizing script with some bits of humor as the film is mostly dramatic in its tone along with a wonderful structure to tell the story.

Amenabar’s direction is definitely superb with its images of the Spanish beaches and countryside landscapes to give audiences an idea of Ramon’s own fantasy in a life where he isn’t a paraplegic. Notably some amazing scenery and sequences where the camera is flying over the beaches while the compositions of Ramon’s diving accident are shown with a sense of beauty and terror. More intimate scenes at Ramon’s home and the home of other characters are done with simple shots and camera work as Amenabar’s direction is definitely spellbinding. Even as he does his own editing to create some intense dramatic effects for the film’s highly-emotional scenes and some amazing fantasy sequences.

Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe does spectacular work with the film’s photography that is filled with lush, colorful look of the exterior scenes of the Spanish beaches and towns while at night, they’re shot with low lights. Many of the film’s interior scenes in day and night are shot with very little light to present something intimate and dark to complement the emotions of Ramon in what he’s feeling about as the cinematography is brilliant. Production designer/art director Benjamin Fernandez along with set decorator Emilio Ardura does excellent work on the film’s set designs in the home of Ramon and the farm along with the posh home of Julia and Rosa’s own simple apartment.

Costume designer Sonia Grande does some fine work with the film’s clothing which is mostly simple stuff including some pregnant-like clothing for Carla Segura’s character. Special make-up design by Jo Allen on Javier Bardem’s character in how he ages from a young man to an old man is truly magnificent in its look and feel. Sound work by editor Maria Steinberg and mixer Richard Steinberg is excellent for its atmosphere and tone for some of the film’s fantasy sequences. The music by Alejandro Amenabar himself is a mixture of huge, orchestral pieces along with Scottish-inspired music from bagpipes is wonderful. Even as he uses a soundtrack filled with pieces by Richard Wagner, Mozart, and Beethoven along with some opera pieces and traditional Spanish music.

The casting by Luis San Narciso is excellent for a slew of memorable performances including small roles from Alberto Jimenez as Julia’s husband, Federico Perez Rey as a driver, Alberto Amarilla as one of Padre Francisco’s assistants, and Francesc Garrido as Marc, a lawyer who helps plea for Ramon’s case. Jose Maria Pou is great as Padre Francisco, a paraplegic priest who tries to challenge Ramon’s wishes only to make himself look bad in front of Ramon’s family. Clara Segura is excellent as Gene`, an organizer who helps Ramon in his cause while Joan Dalmau is very good as Ramon’s father who reveals where the diving incident happened. Tamar Novas is also good as Ramon’s late teenage nephew who has a hard time doing duties for Ramon only to appreciate him later on. Celso Bugallo is brilliant as Jose, Ramon’s older brother who objects to Ramon’s wishes as he feels on how it would impact the family.

Mabel Rivera is wonderful as Manuela, Ramon’s sister-in-law and caregiver who tries to deal with all that is going on around her while being truly loyal to Ramon. Lola Duenos is superb as Rosa, a single mother who is awestruck by Ramon’s story as she becomes a devoted helper despite her conflict towards euthanasia. Belen Rueda is excellent as Julia, a lawyer who suddenly becomes ill as she starts to understand why Ramon would want to die as she also writes his story.

Finally, there’s Javier Bardem in one of his greatest performances of his career. Though he’s lying on a bed most of the time just using his head to move and carry a stick with his mouth. It’s definitely a lively performance from the famed Spanish actor who brings a lot of humor and drama to his character. Even as he is walking and moving his body in fantasy sequences. It’s definitely a marvel to watch him play a fascinating character as it truly one of Bardem’s finest roles.

Mar Adentro is an exhilarating yet mesmerizing film from Alejandro Amenabar featuring a superb performance from Javier Bardem. Audiences who love inspiring dramas without overly-sentimental messages or heavy-handed issues will enjoy this. Even as it definitely one of the best films to come from Spain for the past twenty years as it is also Amenabar’s best work as a director so far. In the end, Mar Adentro is a magnificent film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Alejandro Amenabar Films: Thesis - Open Your Eyes - The Others - Agora - Regression - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

© thevoid99 2013

2012 Cannes Marathon: Agora

(Played Out of Competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival)

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar and written by Amenabar and Mateo Gil, Agora is the story of a slave who falls for the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria as she is concerned with changing ideas about the ways of the world in 4th Century Roman Egypt. The film is a historical drama about Hypatia and her philosophies that was deemed controversial at the time. Starring Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Sami Samir, Rupert Evans, and Michael Lonsdale. Agora is an ambitious but extremely messy film from Alejandro Amenabar.

It’s 391 A.D. in Alexandria where the famed philosopher Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) is teaching students about her theory on the universe as her students include Orestes (Oscar Isaac) and Synesius (Rupert Evans) along with her slave Davus (Max Minghella). Though Davus is very interested in Hypatia’s theories as he would assist her, tension over religion boils between pagans and Christians where Hypatia’s father Theon (Michael Lonsdale) is trying to sort things out. Instead, the tension between pagans and Christians has Davus be interested in what they’re about while Synesius reveals himself to be a Christian. Yet, Davus is also in love with Hypatia as the tension between the Christians and pagans start to become violent as Orestes gets involved with the battle while Theon is wounded by own slave.

While Davus manages to try and help out Hypatia, he is torn between his sudden interest in Christianity and love for Hypatia where all of the pagans including Theon and Orestes await word from the Romans. What the Roman Emperor reveals would force the pagans to leave Alexandria as the Christians take over while Hypatia becomes desperate to save the scrolls in the library as the Christians finally destroy the place. Davus meanwhile, makes his decision to join the Christians forcing Hypatia to free him as the two go their separate ways. Years later, Orestes has become prefect of Alexandria as he and many have already converted to Christianity while Hypatia becomes more interested in the motion of Sun, Moon, and the universe to fulfill a theory she’s been trying to work on. Davus has become part of a group of Christians as a new conflict is emerging between the Christians and the Jews.

With Orestes overwhelmed with trying to control the conflict, Synesius returns to Alexandria as the Bishop of Cyrene to try and calm things down as the Christians are led by the more extreme Cyril (Sami Samir). Instead, things go out of control when Cyril decides to target Hypatia with claims of witchcraft as Orestes tries to defend her. Instead, Synesius tries to make a deal for Hypatia to accept Christianity only for her to refuse as she makes a personal breakthrough about her theory of how Earth orbits the sun. When Davus learns what Cyril will do to Hypatia, he tries to return to the woman he had loved and save her.

The film is essentially a look into the final years of Hypatia from the eyes of a slave who fell in love with her only to part during the rise of Christianity in Alexandria. There, Hypatia is trying to uncover the theory about how the Earth moves around the sun while she is adored by two different men who are intrigued by her philosophies but are torn by different loyalties. It’s a concept that is quite interesting as well as Hypatia’s theories about the movement of the Earth.

Unfortunately, the screenplay that Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil create is a mess. Largely due to some of the dramatic liberties that is presented as it really makes the story so drawn-out that it loses a lot of its intrigue. Plus, the characters such as Davus and Synesius are badly underwritten while Orestes isn’t as developed as well. For an audience that doesn’t know about Hypatia or some of these characters, it makes the story far more confusing to follow as there’s all of this drama that really becomes quite boring.

Amenabar’s direction is pretty big and ambitious for the way he presents late 4th Century Alexandria with its buildings along with shots of Earth that is presented throughout. The stuff about science is quite interesting but Amenabar seems to try and draw the audience in with all of these dramatic stories that really becomes a bit over-dramatized at times. There’s a lot of compositions that is a joy to watch but the execution of the drama such as the library raid and the stuff involving the battle between the Christians and Jews are poorly managed. The audience wouldn’t really know why there’s all of this tension and the stuff involving Davus’ affections for Hypatia and how he has become part of this group of radical Christians just makes everything else seem uninteresting. The overall result is an overblown and very tedious film.

Cinematographer Xavi Giminez does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the daytime exteriors to display the hot sun of Alexandra, though it‘s shot in Malta, to some entrancing work in the nighttime interior and exterior shots in the film. Editor Nacho Ruiz Capillas does fine work with the editing to play out the intensity of the battles as well as the rhythm for Hypatia‘s numerous discoveries as she tries to play out her theories. Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, with set decorator Larry Dias and art director Frank Walsh does amazing work with the set pieces created such as the pagan statues and the library that Hypatia loves.

Costume designer Gabriella Pescucci does nice work with the costume design from the robes that Hypatia creates to the different array of slave garbs and Christian uniforms that Davus wears. Visual effects supervisors Felix Berges and Eduardo Diaz do wonderful work with the visual effects to create amazing wide shots of Alexandria as well as the scenes in Earth and outer space though the sequence in the raid where scrolls are being thrown doesn‘t look so good. Sound editor Glenn Freemantle and co-sound designer Tom Sayers do superb work with the sound from the intimacy of the meetings to the raucous world of the crowd gatherings. The film’s score by Dario Marianelli is pretty good for the way it plays out the world with Arabian vocal chants and bombast orchestral arrangements although it does tend to swell up the drama to overblown places.

The casting by Jina Jay and Edward Sands is also good for some of people that is made for the ensemble as it includes some noteworthy performances from George Harris as Heladius Dignitary, Homayoun Ershadi as Hypatia’s assistant Aspasius in the film’s second half, Manuel Cauchi as Cyril’s uncle Theopolis, and Sami Samir as the extreme Christian leader Cyril. Michael Lonsdale is pretty good as Hypatia’s father Theon who tries to deal with these changes in the film’s first half while Rupert Evans is decent as the very quiet and spiritual Synesius who starts off as a student only to become this very spiritual bishop where he doesn’t really get to do anything but say a lot of stuff about being true to God. Oscar Isaac is stellar as Orestes as a man that is trying to win over Hypatia as he becomes the closest thing to a lover that she has although Isaac doesn’t sell some of the melodrama in the film’s third act.

Max Minghella is okay as the slave Davus who would aid Hypatia in her theories during class while dealing with these changes as there’s some good from Minghella but the script’s weakness doesn’t do enough to explain his actions in the film’s second half or why he had become so quiet in that second half. Rachel Weisz is wonderful as the very philosophical yet confused Hypatia where Weisz humanizes the philosopher by displaying a woman who is driven by wanting to find the answers to the universe while having trouble dealing with what to do as a woman with a personal life as it’s one of Weisz’s best performance in an otherwise poor film.

Agora is a bloated and very dull film from Alejandro Amenabar. Despite some great set pieces, interesting thoughts on science, and Rachel Weisz’s performance, it’s a film that tries to be a period epic but without a strong script to support it. It’s a film where history buffs might be interested in the subject but will be disappointed by some of the liberties it took to tell the story. In the end, Agora is a terrible film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Alejandro Amenabar Films: Thesis - Open Your Eyes - The Others - The Sea Inside - Regression - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

© thevoid99 2012

Open Your Eyes

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar and written by Amenabar and Mateo Gil, Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) is the story of a young playboy whose life changes following a car crash that leaves his face disfigured. After falling for his best friend’s girlfriend, he is questioned by a psychiatrist as he starts to have trouble distinguishing real life and the dreams that he’s been having. The film serves as Amenabar’s international breakthrough as it would mark him as a new voice in Spanish cinema. Starring Eduardo Noriega, Penelope Cruz, Najwa Nimri, Fele Martinez, and Chete Lera. Abre los Ojos is an enchanting yet surreal film from Alejandro Amenabar.

After a near-fatal car accident that left his face disfigured and being questioned for murder, a young rich playboy named Cesar (Eduardo Noriega) is examined by a psychiatrist named Antonio (Chete Lera). Cesar recounts his life as a young playboy who often sleeps with different women as he just scored in his latest conquest in a woman named Nuria (Najwa Nimri). With a birthday celebration coming as a party is held for Cesar, his best friend Pelayo (Fele Martinez) arrives with his new girlfriend Sofia (Penelope Cruz) as Cesar is amazed by her. Despite dealing with Nuria’s presence, Cesar finds himself attracted to Sofia as the two have a conversation about things as she takes him to her apartment. After a fun night where Cesar didn’t actually sleep with a woman, Nuria waits for Cesar as she drives him home where Nuria’s behavior leads to a horrifying incident.

With Cesar disfigured, his life is in shambles as he talks to Antonio about the despair he went through as all the surgeries he had didn’t work. Still, Sofia and Pelayo try to help him as he is convinced that his life ends. Yet, something happens as a revolutionary surgery has arrived fixing Cesar’s face as he manages to re-connect with Sofia as the two have a romance. Then, reality starts to blur as he sees Nuria claiming to be Sofia as Cesar has no idea what is going on. After meeting a man named Duvernois (Gerard Barray) who claims that Cesar is just dreaming, Cesar refuses to believe him as things become more complicated as Antonio asks about the dream Cesar keeps having. Cesar realizes that it all has to do with all of the things that are happening him as he confronts what is blurring his idea of reality.

The film is about a young man’s life that changes following an accident as his perception of reality starts to blur as he’s dealing with dreams in his head as he’s talking to a psychiatrist. During this journey, he starts to fall for a beautiful young woman who is his best friend’s new girlfriend. While she’s not like any of the women that this young man has been with, she comes in at a time where his life is going to change but in the wrong way due to a jealous lover. Due to his despair, he sleeps into a drunken state and wakes up where things change as it adds to his own confusion about what is real and what is a dream.

Alejandro Amenabar and co-writer Mateo Gil create a film where it’s all about the idea of what dreams can do but also how they can play with reality. At the same time, it’s a character study set into a world of surrealism as Amenabar and Gil delve into what this man is going through. During the course of the film, there is a story involving cryogenic freezing from a man who talks about it as it would later become something bigger in the third act. Meanwhile, Cesar goes through this journey where he has to deal with being disfigured and then have his face back but things don’t seem perfect as it seems. The script is a mesh of various genres with a center on this man’s ordeal as he talks to a psychiatrist that is trying to piece everything together.

Amenabar’s direction is truly engaging in the way he presents the film as he goes for style a lot of the composition he brings in as it’s shot on location in Madrid and in a full-frame format. Still, he allows the film to have a wide depth of field for several shots of Madrid as some of the early dream-like sequences features a city that is truly empty. Amenabar always keeps the camera moving to maintain that surreal-like state along with a few visual effects shots to play up Cesar’s perception of reality.

At the same time, there’s some wonderful intimate moments in scenes between Cesar and Sofia where Amenabar keeps the presentation simple. Yet, the way he approaches the more intense, dramatic moments as well as the big moments such as the ending shows ambition no matter what he has to use for a film like this. Overall, this is truly a stunning yet magnificent film from Amenabar.

Cinematographer Hans Burman does an excellent job with the film‘s photography from the colorful yet entrancing look of the nightclub scene to the broad yet beautiful daytime scenes in the park where Cesar recalls a dream to Sofia that she‘s in. Editor Maria Elena Sainz de Rozas does a great job with the editing by creating a tight yet methodical approach to the pacing while using straight cuts to black and jump-cuts to play up some of the film’s suspenseful moments.

Art director Wolfgang Burmann, along with set decorators Carola Angulo and Ramon Moya, does a nice job with the set pieces created such as the room where Cesar and Antonio as well as the differing apartments that Cesar and Sofia live in. Costume designer Conha Solera does a very good job with the costumes to exemplify the personalities of the characters from the posh/casual clothes of Cesar to the stylish clothes that Sofia wears. Makeup designer Paca Almenara does an amazing job with the makeup for Cesar‘s disfigured face which plays up the trouble emotions of Cesar. Sound designers Daniel Goldstein and Ricardo Steinberg do a fantastic job with the sound to capture the sparse texture of empty Madrid and other intimate moments to more layered work in crowd-driven scenes.

The film’s score by director Alejandro Amenabar and Mariano Marin is superb for its orchestral score filled with heavy arrangements for the suspenseful pieces as well as more low-key somber cuts for the light-dramatic moments. The film’s soundtrack also includes an array of alt-rock cuts and some electronic pieces by acts like Massive Attack and Sneaker Pimps for the club scenes that is prevalent in the film as the overall music work is great.

The film’s terrific cast includes an appearance from Jorge de Juan as an executive late in the film as well as Gerard Barray as the mysterious man that appears on the TV that Cesar later meets at a club. Najwa Nimri is excellent as the sexy yet mysterious Nuria who confronts Cesar about his womanizing while playing mind games with him. Fele Martinez is very good as Cesar’s friend Pelayo who tries to deal with Cesar’s interest towards Sofia. Chete Lera is superb as Antonio, Cesar’s psychiatrist who tries to figure out his mood and the dreams that he’s been having as it’s a very brazen yet charismatic performance.

Eduardo Noriega is great as Cesar, the young playboy whose life is shattered by an accident as he seems to try and figure out what to do only to have trouble in distinguishing reality and fiction. It’s a very complex yet exhilarating performance from Noriega who starts off as charming and a bit un-likeable only to wear makeup for his disfigurement and to convey the despair that he’s going through in this amazing performance. Finally, there’s Penelope Cruz in a radiant performance as Sofia as Cruz brings a wonderful sense of charm and wit to her character. Notably in a scene where she does mime work that is just amazing to watch while she has some great chemistry with Noriega for the way they talk and react to each other in a very naturalistic, relaxed approach as it’s one Cruz’s finest performances.

Abre los Ojos is a spectacular yet mind-bending film from Alejandro Amenabar that features brilliant performances from Eduardo Noriega and Penelope Cruz. For anyone that is interested in the works of Amenabar should definitely check this out as it’s also one of the most daring and ambitious sci-fi dramas of the 1990s. The film is also worth seeking out for those that had seen Cameron Crowe’s 2001 remake Vanilla Sky to see what Crowe expanded on as it also featured Cruz in the same role. In the end, Abre los Ojos is a thrilling yet hypnotic film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Alejandro Amenabar Films: Thesis - The Others - The Sea Inside - Agora - Regression - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

© thevoid99 2011