miguel angel saenz S
Película imperdible, actuaciones sólidas y una dirección sublime con situaciones humanas y giros inesperados
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
11/10/22
Full Review
Late R
Almost as if Carlos Vermut wanted to prove to Yorgos Lanthimos that he isn't the only Mediterranean director who can pull off a strange tone (although it's restrained compared to the Greek director's work), this is one of those films that might put those off who like structured things that make perfect sense. If, however, you're willing to go along for the ride, ‘Magical Girl' has some wonderful and weird moments, interweaving its unstable characters' lives in bizarre, unpredictable, and completely unbelievable ways. It's that which makes it interesting. The material is mostly sad and dark, but the way Vermut handles it almost borders on – I don't want to say "comedy" because it really isn't particularly funny – but certainly with a much lighter tone than you'd expect. There are three main characters, but Barbara Lennie is the centrepiece and it's her fantastic performance that carries the entire film – without her, I'm not sure it would work half as well. It has its faults and there are things that don't work so well, but not being able to tell which direction the story's going to take and how it's going to end is a great strength and kept me watching (and mostly enjoying) all the way through.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/03/22
Full Review
Audience Member
A veces uno tiene la suerte de encontrarse con joyas cómo ésta. Carlos Vermut dirige ésta película española con un balance interesante entre la sobriedad de sus escenas y la obscuridad que poco a poco va envolviendo a sus personajes.
Un padre desempleado quiere comprar un regalo para su hija enferma de leucemia, para conseguir el dinero tendrá que hacer cosas que no se sabía capaz, y su vida tendrá que converger con una extraña y obscura mujer y un maestro de matemáticas retirado, todos unidos por la tragedia.
La película es lenta, tortuosa pero eso juega a su favor, no será una película para todo el público por la densidad de su guión y lo prolongado de sus escenas, pero el que logre desafiar ésos detalles se llevará una grata sorpresa.
Fue un deleite ver ésta película, ojalá sigan produciendo éste tipo de cine, que trasciende y reta al espectador a poner atención, reflexionar y disfrutar de una historia compleja, fuerte y directa.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I know there are people out there like Barbara, Damian, and Luis. People find themselves in desperate situations calling for desperate measures that can destroy them even as they are meant to put things right or in some sort of functional order. There are also women like Ada who will facilitate the debasement, prostitution and even violent death of other women for a cut. And I know well there are people out there like the man Barbara submits herself to for the money she is being blackmailed for who have damned little if any empathy for others and take great pleasure in the abject suffering of others, esp. women.
All of this is brought to life in all too real, disturbing ways in Magical Girl. Barbara Lennie is a very interesting actress. I've seen her in two films so far where she is a lead character. Both required her to express sadness, dread, uncertainty in a fragile state. She is able to put across a strong sense of being uncomfortable, unsettled in her life. Her characters in Magical Girl and Sunday's Illness are rather singular people. Barbara may be mentally ill. She is certainly unstable and in need of her husband's care and watchful eye. This is clear when she makes one very fateful mistake when it appears he has left her. It's that choice, sparked by the most random action, that will be fateful for three key characters in the film.
Sacristan is also quite good in the movie. I won't see this one again, for obvious reasons. Still, there are unquestionable aspects of this film that are very well done, from the tone to the conviction of the writing. One critical review I read said the film made the critic laugh at moments- 'obsidian black humor' or some such twaddle. That guy sounds like something of a twisto. 3.2 stars
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Best spanish film in decades!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
sick, twisted and perverted and near perfect. watch it to feel surprised again by plot.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
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