Antonio, a taxi driver, his wife, and two chidren arrive one fine afternoon at a solitary beach, looking for sea-shells. However, they will find more than expected: namely, Ombasi and Yambo... See full summary »
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Antonio, a taxi driver, his wife, and two chidren arrive one fine afternoon at a solitary beach, looking for sea-shells. However, they will find more than expected: namely, Ombasi and Yambo, two illegal African immigrants, apparently thrown back to the ocean from where they came, in search of a better life in Spain. The sun sets, and the evening, night and morning which follow see other bizarre characters entering the scene, before the Africans' and the other characters' fates are finally decided. Written by
Gonz30
I don't know much about the Spanish mentality and the blackest depths of Spanish souls. This movie seems to be an (unusual) account of these. I don't think the characters are completely made up by the screenwriters, only to construct a shocking story about racism. There are drunken criminals and violent skinheads in the movie - figures often appearing in films; all right. But the fact that Antonio and his family represent the ordinary lower class Spanish family with all their attitudes and manners really shocked me. The way director Uribe paints his main characters is really, really cruel. I do hope it's exaggerated.
Above all, this is an excellent movie. It creates a not customary tension most of the time and mixes irony with tragedy. The photographer also did great work and caught beautiful shots of the picturesque landscape which seems a little artificial - well, dunes always do. Only the dialogues between the family members are a bit unrealistic but I mentioned that already.
I gave this movie 8 stars out of 10 and if you ever spot it anywhere, watch it until the end because the final scenes are especially well-done. It's a small, great movie.
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I don't know much about the Spanish mentality and the blackest depths of Spanish souls. This movie seems to be an (unusual) account of these. I don't think the characters are completely made up by the screenwriters, only to construct a shocking story about racism. There are drunken criminals and violent skinheads in the movie - figures often appearing in films; all right. But the fact that Antonio and his family represent the ordinary lower class Spanish family with all their attitudes and manners really shocked me. The way director Uribe paints his main characters is really, really cruel. I do hope it's exaggerated.
Above all, this is an excellent movie. It creates a not customary tension most of the time and mixes irony with tragedy. The photographer also did great work and caught beautiful shots of the picturesque landscape which seems a little artificial - well, dunes always do. Only the dialogues between the family members are a bit unrealistic but I mentioned that already.
I gave this movie 8 stars out of 10 and if you ever spot it anywhere, watch it until the end because the final scenes are especially well-done. It's a small, great movie.