The Current Cinema - Sydney Supercinephile Barrie Pattison tracks down some films from Spain and Japan screening under the radar

The consular one offs in Sydney are with us again. 

Note first the Institute Cervantes - Auditorio level 3, 299 Sussex Street - doing Friday shows at 6.00 pm. 

June 8 Obaba (Mozto Amendariz) 

June 22 Los exiliados románticos (Jonas Trueba) 

July 6 El Rayo/Hassan’s Way (Fran Araujo, Ernesto de Nova)

July 20 Pa Negra/Black Bread (Agusti Villaronga) 

August 3 Stella Cardente/Falling Star  (Luís Miñarro) 

August 17 Una pistola en cada mano/A Gun in Each Hand (Ces Gay) 

August 31 El secreto de sus ojos/The Secret in their eyes( Juan José Campanella)

Free but they want bookings (9274 9200) though there are usually seats empty

The Japanese are screening at Event George St. also 6:00 pm. 

June 27 Honnouji Hotel (Masayuki Suzuki)

July 30 In This Corner of the World (Sunao Katabuchi)   

August 29 The Long Excuse (Miwa Nishikawa)

Also showing in Brisbane

The Koreans show movies too. Watch this space. 

I’ve already put up information on the admirable In This Corner of the World (click here for post) 

Here are notes on Black Bread which I rate as possibly the most remarkable recent Hispanic film.

Superior Spanish drama set at the time following the Civil War. The piece centers on young Francesc Colomer (first film), child of a Republican couple who face the hostility of Franco supporter Alcalde (Sergi López). 

The opening brutal murder (driving a blidfolded horse off a cliff ) lets the audience know that this is not going to be a comfortable experience. The father flees arrest for the crime leaving his wife and son without protection and the plot takes a “Great Expectations” twist with the boy placed in the home of a rich couple. 

The characters he meets expand his world and his final renunciation of the people who are the most deserving of his respect is as harsh as anything on film.

The rural imagery is unfamiliar, detailed and striking - the image of the mother at work in the window, the only action warm toned and distant in the shot, is particularly haunting.

This was Spain’s Oscar contender for the year but did not achieve success abroad. It’s not for the sensitive. Director Agustí Villaronga’s work is highly regarded by the people who’ve had the chance to watch it.