The Lady and the Reaper (La dama y la muerte) (2009)

A sweet old lady is living alone in her farm, waiting for the arrival of death to meet her beloved husband again. One night, while sleeping, her life fades out and she is invited to cross ... See full summary »

Director:

Javier Recio Gracia

Writer:

Javier Recio Gracia

Stars:

Miguel Angel Perez, Eva Molina

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview:
Miguel Angel Perez	...	Death / Doctor / Dog (voice)
Eva Molina	...	Lady / Nurses / Dog (voice)

Storyline

A sweet old lady is living alone in her farm, waiting for the arrival of death to meet her beloved husband again. One night, while sleeping, her life fades out and she is invited to cross death's door. Bue when she is about to do so, the old lady wakes up inside a hospital's ward: and arrogant doctor has taken her back to life and he will fight hard against death to recover the old lady's life at any cost.

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Plot Keywords:

death | doctor | wanting to die | framed photograph | loss of husband | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 February 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lady and the Reaper

Box Office

Budget:

€700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Caja de Granada, Junta de Andalucía, Kandor Graphics

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Brief Film Reviews: The 2009 Nominees for Best Animated Short (2010)

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Soundtracks

"We'll Meet Again"
By Ross Parker and Hugh Charles (as Hugh Charles)
Performed by Vera Lynn
Courtesy EMY Records

User Reviews

My favorite of the Oscar nominees--that's why it probably won't win!!

I have been going to the special showings of the Oscar-nominated shorts for the last several years and I have learned one important thing--if I love an animated short, it's bound to lose. This isn't the case with the live-action ones, but I have the uncanny ability to pick which one I think should win and get it wrong every time! Sadly for THE OLD LADY AND THE REAPER, I loved it and felt it should win the Oscar--a true curse if I've ever heard one! I think, while it's not my first favorite, that LOGORAMA will actually take the Oscar, as it's more creative and visually stunning. Plus, the Oscar people (technically, the members of AMPAS) don't seem to like the morbid little comedies--as my favorites for 2008 and 2009 were also about death (wow,,,that says a lot about me, huh?).

THE OLD LADY AND THE REAPER is a Spanish movie but when I saw it, the film was in English. IMDb also says it's an English language film, though with its Spanish title I assume that there must be a Spanish language one out there somewhere. If you find it, let me know--I'd like to see that as well.

The film is a comedy about a power struggle between the Grim Reaper and a hot-shot doctor who plays God and keeps resuscitating a dead lady. As for the lady, she's quite old and very prepared to die--and just wishes that this jerk would let her go! It's all very, very goofy and is sure to make you laugh--particularly the cute way it portrays the Reaper as well as his three-headed Poodle! Clever, funny and manically paced--this is a hilarious film and the theater was filled with laughter from start to finish. Too bad it probably won't win.

Update (3/7/10)--I was correct, "Logorama" took the Oscar. It just goes to show that my instinct was correct but I still enjoyed "La Dama y La Muerte" better. See both films and do yourself a favor.