Dark Blue Almost Black (2006)

Just as his childhood sweetheart Natalia returns, his infertile brother Antonio asks Jorge to impregnate Paula, Antonio's imprisoned girlfriend.

Director:

Daniel Sánchez Arévalo

Writer:

Daniel Sánchez Arévalo

Stars:

Quim Gutiérrez, Raúl Arévalo, Marta Etura

22 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Quim Gutiérrez	...	Jorge
Marta Etura	...	Paula
Antonio de la Torre	...	Antonio
Héctor Colomé	...	Andrés
Raúl Arévalo	...	Israel
Eva Pallarés	...	Natalia
Manuel Morón	...	Fernando
Ana Wagener	...	Ana
Roberto Enríquez	...	Roberto
Natalia Mateo	...	Funcionaria
Alba Gárate	...	Alba
Marta Aledo	...	Empleada banco
Carmen Arévalo	...	Maestra de ceremonias
Joaquín Notario	...	Jefe de personal 1
Esther Ortega	...	Jefe de personal 2

Storyline

Jorge is a 25-year old janitor who desperately tries to find himself a new, and especially, better, job. This undertaking is complicated by the fact he takes care of his handicapped father who had a hart infarct seven years earlier. His soon-to-be-released brother Antonio finds a girlfriend (Paula) in jail who wants to get pregnant. When Antonio finds out he's infertile, Jorge is asked to make Paula pregnant. To make the dilemma even heavier, Jorge's childhood sweetheart Natalia returns after many years. Meanwhile, Jorge's best friend Israel (nicknamed Sean) secretly photographs men visiting an erotic masseur to find out something he didn't bargain for.

---

Plot Keywords:

two brothers in love with the same woman | two brothers courting same girl | janitor | photograph | gay secondary character | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Héctor Colomé, the actor who plays the father, was actually stepfather of director Daniel Sánchez Arévalo in real life.

---

Quotes

Andrés: Why don't you like being a janitor?
Jorge: Because I didn't choose to be one.

---

Connections

Features Smut Starts at the Pyrenees (1973)

---

Soundtracks

Imaginarte
Written by Alba Gárate
Performed by Lantana

User Reviews

Delicate story with a smile and a tear

The blues, dark, almost black... That's Daniel Sánchez Arévalo's message in his new highly rewarded azuloscurocasinegro. It happens to be the same color as the suit Jorge (Quim Gutiérrez) is dreaming of. This suit represents his freedom. Jorge's father has suffered a stroke and Jorge himself has to take care of him and the janitor duties he is now unable to do. In the meantime Jorge's brother (Antonio De la Torre) - who is in jail, falls in love with a girl called Paula (Marta Etura) he meets in prison. Jorge's friend Israel (Raúl Arévalo) is discovering secrets about his father and himself.

The life Jorge lives withholds his self-development, and retains his freedom. He obtained his management degree with self-study, but it's impossible for him to get the job he wants, because of his duties: his father and the janitor-job. He's in love with his neighbor girl (Eva Pallarés), but thinks a true relationship is impossible, because she is free an he is stuck in there. The movie itself is set in the same dark blue color setting, but it never gets too moody. there is a nice balance between the emotions (there are some really funny parts with Israel and with Jorge's brother Antonio), joined by a very decent score. The story never gets into extremes: the emotions are subtle but real. The characters are well developed (especially Jorge's and Paula's), and deep enough to be able to feel with them. Newcomer Daniel Sánchez Arévalo brings us a delicate story with a smile and a tear.

Details

Official Sites:

MK2 [France] Official site [Spain] (Spanish, English)

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

19 October 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

DarkBlueAlmostBlack

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,897, 21 October 2007

Gross USA:

$6,646

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,171,323

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, Televisión Española (TVE), Tesela Producciones Cinematográficas

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1