Black Bread (2010) User Reviews

Pa Negre: Dark and Deep

[imagiking · 8/10 · 12 May 2011]

Black Bread begins with a familiar scene: a man leads his horse and cart through a darkened wood, glancing around with unease at the various forest sounds which break the tense silence. A fairy-tale quality hangs over the scene, the images framed in wide angles and brought to life with rich autumnal hues; perhaps this will be a fantasy parable. When an assailant attacks the traveller, binds him in the cart, and leads the now-blindfolded horse to the cliff's edge, brutally smashing it in the face with a sledge hammer, our stomachs concomitantly fold alongside the illusion that this will be anything but sickeningly real. It is the first clue to us that we are not in for the easiest of rides; many of the images that will come to us will be disturbing, even distressing.

Set in the years following the Spanish civil war, the film portrays the lingering dissent and tarnished political atmosphere of a nation divided. Andreu—the young boy who discovers the wreckage and is caught up in the post-civil war world of deceit that grips his small village as he attempts to discover the truth behind the "accident"—is sent to live with his grandmother, aunt, and cousins when his father—having fought for the losing side along with the murdered man—is forced to flee in fear of his own life. Andreu's journey to discover what happened to the cart and its riders takes him into the darkness within his village, his family, and even himself.

It seems to me that there is a recurrent idea in modern Spanish-language cinema: to explore the issues of the civil war through the eyes of a child. Predating Black Bread, there are a number of films such as Butterfly's Tongue and Pan's Labyrinth which use the same concept. Examining the war through young eyes contextualises it, reducing it to its most fundamental perceptible elements and providing a fascinating perspective on (in the case of the former) the senselessness of condemning people by ideology alone and (the latter) the monstrousness of war and the frivolity of conflict. In a way, Black Bread achieves both of these things, though far more so the second. It demonstrates not the horror of war itself, but the horror of the people war creates; the capability for evil of those left living. The dark truths Andreu unearths are as horrifying as any war, the images he dreams up truly disturbing. The child protagonist is a proxy through whom we see things at their most stripped-down, basic, and shocking, exposing to us the sheer lunacy of humanity's follies. Surprising is the film's tackling of a particular societal issue which gradually becomes the centre of its comment upon our race, and the animalistic prejudices which, sadly, so often characterise us. Worth making mention of is the film's name, something of a motif referring to the secondary theme of class and social standing, commenting upon the sickening imbalance between the wealthy and the poor in times of hardship. Most films would do well to achieve half the depth Black Bread manages with this theme, and it is a secondary one.

A worthy addition to the fray of Spanish civil war dramas, Black Bread is a surprisingly dark and deep examination of war's effect upon the lives and personalities of those who suffer through it. Condemning the capability of ordinary people to do extraordinary evil, it is an impactful portrait of guilt, responsibility, society, and family.

Interesting yarn dealing with tribulations of a child at a Catalan village during Spanish post-Civil War

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 9 May 2015]

Dark film with thrilling events , awesome performances , adequate settings and including a spotless as well as shading pictorial cinematography . The flick has some powerful , rousing images and occurs strong and downbeat happenings . This upsetting story of how war creates monsters is set in the harsh post-war years' Catalan countryside , as our hero is Andreu , a little boy (Francesc Colomer) who lives with his parents (Roger Casamajor , Nora Navas)and he then meets the corpses of a man and his son in the woods . The Mayor (Sergi Lopez) and Guardia Civil blame his daddy named Farriol (Roger Casamajor replaced Óscar Jaenada) of the deaths , but Andreu attempts to help him by finding out who actually murdered them . He investigates and finally discovers dark secrets . In this search he betrays his own roots and seeks the terrible truth . Then his father is detained , Andreu gives up hope of seeing him again and he goes home his grandmother , aunts and cousin .

This is a thought-provoking flick dealing with astonishing events as well as a passionate retelling and a touching post-warlike drama with some historical insight . "Pa Negre¨ or ¨Pan Negro¨ being finely adapted by the same director Agustí Villaronga from a novel written by Emili Teixidor about a twisted tale of treason , lies , punishment and redemption . This moving as well as strong story is an emotive recounting and an intense drama , including disturbing intrigues , tragedies , deaths and executions . "Black Bread" results to be other of the uncountable stories to deal with dramatic deeds regarding the Civil War background . A familiar theme about the global horrors of a fratricide war , impossible to forget to Spanish Cinema , as the picture gives a deep detail about lives at a village set during post-Civil War and some atrocities being committed by Francoists . It belongs a sub-genre that revolves around the themes of the civil war through the eyes of a child , as there are a great number of pictures about this engaging issues such as ¨Secrets of heart¨ by Montxo Armendariz , ¨Butterfly's Tongue¨by Jose Luis Cuerda , ¨Viaje De Carol¨ by Imanol Uribe and Pan's labyrinth by Guillermo Del Toro . Agusti Villaronga also writes the script and being filmed in his usual formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the thoughtful issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . The main problem has to face "Pan Negro" , beyond not being able to avoid falling into the politic pamphlet is precisely derived from the coldness of its staging , which eventually become monotonous over 108 minutes of footage . This is an enough budget Spanish production and obtained moderate success in the Spaniard box office . The starring boy is well performed by Francesc Colomer , he plays as Andreu who develops a moral consciousness against a world of adults fed by lies and ends up finding out the monster that lives within him . Excellent support cast forming an enjoyable human group of players and giving excellent interpretations such as Roger Casamajor as a Republican father with deep idealism to be made responsible for two strange deaths , Laia Marull as unsettling Pauleta , Eduard Fernández as abusive teacher and Sergi López who plays a similar role to Pan's labyrinth as a cruel fascist . This was first Catalan-language film to win the Goya Award for Best Film and Spain's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012 .

Appropriate and evocative musical score by Jose Manuel Pagan . Dark as well atmospheric cinematography by Antonio Riestra who is nowadays working in internationals productions as ¨Mama¨ , ¨Lidice¨ , ¨Czech-Made Man¨ and ¨Last knights¨. Being filmed on location in Olot , Gerona , Puig-Reig, Santa Fe Montseny, Talamanca, Tavertet, Vic , Puig De Balma , L'Espunyola , Manlleu, Mataró , Barcelona , Catalonia, Spain . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Agusti Villaronga . Agusti was born in 1953 in Majorca, Balearic Islands, he uses to make films including genuine chills , suspense , mystery and dark atmospheres . His movies pack excellent creation of taut , thriller , emotions and rare atmospheres such as ¨Aro Tolbukhin¨ , ¨El mar¨ , ¨El Niño de la Luna¨ and especially ¨In a glass cage¨ or ¨Tras el Cristal¨ . His greatest success was this ¨Black bread¨ or Pa Negre¨ winning several Goyas .

answers

[Vincentiu · 1 October 2013]

dark movie. about truth and its price, about illusions and the need of lies. the scene - Civil War shadow who represents perfect arena for a kind of story. like many Spanish films about same period, it is an exercise of exorcism. a child front to reality. the fall of veils. the cruelty of discoveries. it is not easy to say if it is a good or bad movie. because the answer is not on screen. the theme, the acting, the images, the chain of symbols, the final are only a circle. a frame. the real answer, one of them, is work of viewer experiences, memories, impressions. Francesc Colomer has an admirable work and the Balkanic layer of story is almost seductive. but something is more important - the large shadows, the heavy air, the powerful emotions, the force of each detail.a film like a string of answers. in skin of a question out of words. only the ash of images. and traces of a deeper war than one from a history lesson

Interesting mystery

[billcr12 · 7/10 · 18 April 2012]

Black Bread is an elaborate Catalan Spanish ghost story which begins with a hooded man driving a horse drawn carriage through the woods where he attacks Dionis and his son Culet and kills them by leading the horse off a cliff blind folded. A witness, Andreu, an 11 year old boy goes back to town to report the incident. Farriol, who is the partner of Dionis and also Andreu's father is the lead suspect in the murder, due to his previous opposition to Franco during the war. The mayor was in love with Farriol's wife, Florencia, which creates bad blood until Farriol is forced to leave Spain for France. Andreu's grandmother works for the richest family in the area.

Now things become really complicated. Andreu becomes friends with a tb patient from a monastery who runs around believing that he has wings. Florencia convinces the wealthy woman to take in her son Andreu as a sort of step child in order to have a better life with education at a private school. More mysteries unfold concerning an old murder and Black Bread proves to be an interesting drama.

Black bread

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 16 December 2011]

The world of Andreu is shattered, as the story begins, when he comes upon a wreckage where a neighbor and his son were involved. The almost unwatchable beginning marks the young boy forever. This was the Catalonia of the post war. The small town, in an impoverished rural area where a drama that began a few years before the initial tragedy, serves as the setting for this tale about the coming of age of Andreu.

Farriol, the father of Andreu, has a lot to be afraid. He wants to flee to France, but ends up at his old mother's house where a lot of widows share the space with the bitterness of their lives. Andreu is sent by his mother, Florencia, to stay with his relatives. It is hard for her to keep working at a small factory and tending her young son without the husband that has gone away.

In the new surroundings, Andreu, unravels secrets that are long buried. The defection of his father Farriol weighs heavily on the boy. The atmosphere is oppressive at best. School is not a pleasant place to be either. The only teacher is a man who should not be near children. Andreu discovers his father's role in a horrible act of castration performed on a young man whose only fault was to be a homosexual.

The well-to-do family of the Manubens, where one of Andreu's aunts works as a servant, are the key to the well kept secret the whole town knows, but do not dare to speak. Florencia's only alternative is a sacrifice: she will let the rich Manubens take Andreu away so he can be educated. Florencia coming to visit Andreu at the catholic school, is shocked to find a totally changed Andreu as the story ends.

"Black Bread" was the winner of last year Goya for best film has its merits. Based on a novel by Emili Texidor and adapted for the screen by its director, Agusti Villaronga, it presents the oppressive era of the post civil war era in that part of Spain. The story is complex. Seen through the eyes of the impressionable Andreu, he watches the adult world around him, not being able to absorb the bizarre story behind it. Loving his father, Andreu feels betrayed as he finds out about an ugly episode in which his old man was involved, as well as his mother being sexually abused by a cruel mayor of the town. It is Asuncion who makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to see Andreu get an education, only to be met with his scorn.

Young Francesc Colomer is Andreu. We have never seen the actor, so our impression is that his experience is mainly from working in television, not a guarantee to make a good performer in another medium. The best thing in the film is the Asuncion of Nora Navas who gives an excellent performance as the mother of Andreu. Sergi Lopez and Eduard Fernandez have done much better before. They are seen basically in supporting roles.

Not bad but I was expecting more

[DhariaLezin · 6/10 · 25 March 2015]

This year I saw "In a glass cage", another movie also written and directed by Agustí Villaronga from 1986 (considered one of the most disturbing films of all time), and the movie was so strong, fast and intense, that is hard not to compare with Black Bread. Black Bread is quite decent, it has a great way to handle mystery, and the characters (and their psychology) are very well developed. The portrait of the Spain that was living under the rules of Franco is also great, specially on the countryside. But knowing what Villaronga can do, I expected way more. The movie is over saturated with dialogs, there are way to many characters to follow the plot, and the ending was quite flat. Villaronga seems very skilled to handle themes that are considered taboo with a great taste but there was a lack of those themes in this movie. By the other hand, the point of view of a Spain post war mainly in children is great, same as the acting. So if you like mystery but you don't like to jump from your sit, then go for it.

Villaronga steps up

[ironheadrat · 9/10 · 18 March 2011]

This film swept the board at this year's Goyas (Spanish cinema awards), but after last years Cell 211 ( an enjoyable but unremarkable prison drama) did the same, I wasn't expecting too much.

I'd enjoyed Villaronga's disturbing Aro Tolbukhin, but I wasn't expecting this. One of the best opening sequences you'll see all year leads to a mystery, experienced through the eyes of one boy, that reveals lies, conspiracy and the dark secrets in the heart of a rural Catalan village a few years after the end of the Civil War.

It's magnificently done, and the performances of the children match those of actors such as Sergi Lopez (whose role echoes that in Pan's Labyrinth),Eduard Fernández and Marina Comas.

Scenes such as the boy's father instructing him to uphold his ideals and walk tall, or a powerless mother pleading her husband's innocence, are familiar from more commercial films. Here they are brutally undermined until nothing is left but pitiless self interest.

A chilling study of how war and poverty create monsters.

Could be better...

[pulp_post · 6/10 · 5 October 2016]

Pa negre could have been an interesting movie, but it feels a bit rough around the edges as a whole. It's sort of exaggerated in its evilness, the lies are so many that it would have been impossible for the characters to remember what they had just said and to keep any kind of contact with reality. This exaggeration probably comes as an inheritance from Pan's Labyrinth, but unlike its inspiration Pan Negre lacks subtlety and magic. As for the children, they are cruel and borderline psychopaths, except for the main character who is cold enough as to avoid going crazy. The scenes which portrays animal cruelty are indeed disgusting, I hope no animal was harmed in the making of the film.

A boy wades past fascism and rural poverty in a strong Catalan coming-of-age film

[Chris Knipp · 9/10 · 17 April 2011]

Agustí Villaronga wrote and directed this austerely beautiful Catalan coming-of-age film based on a novel by Emili Teixidor with echoes of Clément's Forbidden Games and Dickens' Great Expectations and a setting -- a child's rural world during the grim days after the Spanish Civil War (1944) -- that links it with de Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. But while del Toro's film is Gothic and surreal, Teixidor's, apart dream sequences and flight metaphors, impresses in both its narrative and its imagery with a stark simplicity worthy of Italian neorealism, overlaid with greater layer of moral ambiguity. Again as in Pan's Labyringh, Sergi López plays the local fascist Alcalde, this time a less clearly sadistic one.

At the center is 11-year-old Andreu (Francesc Colomer), who at the outset witnesses a shocking crime. He sees a hooded figure kill a man, toss him in a covered wagon, than blindfold the horse pulling the wagon and cast them all off a cliff with a boy inside. Andreu's father Farriol (Roger Casamajor) is suspected, perhaps because he has an anti-fascist background. Farriol goes into hiding and Andreu is sent to live with his grandmother (Elisa Crehuet) in a houseful of widows. Andreu's lean, handsome father gives his son many inspiring peptalks about keeping the moral high ground, but all the while his own character remains somewhat suspect. Eventually Andreu will also turn away even from his long- suffering mother Florencia (Nora Navas) when he is adopted by a rich, plump Miss Havisham figure, Mrs. Manubens (Merce Aranega).

At school the teacher is a monomaniacal fascist drum-beater and alcoholic (Eduard Fernandez), who even sleeps with Andreu's feral, maimed but beautiful cousin Núria (Marina Comas) -- her hand has been blown up by a bomb. Yet he is not without redeeming qualities, and Fernandez conveys complexity when he advises Andreu to leave his past behind and seek a better life. Núria and Andreu become frequent companions, and roam the mysterious forest together (this is the Forbidden Games part). Here also he meets an older boy, first spotting him bathing naked in that forest, a consumptive boy (Lázaro Mur) who lives in the monastery, and who imagines he has angels' wings. The none- too-subtle bird imagery extends to a pet in a red wooden cage kept by Andreu's dad. Obviously Andreu is to fly away, and the comsumptive boy can only dream of it.

It's Andreu's mother who approaches Mrs. Manubens when Farriol has been found and taken away. Not much comes of that, and Farriol is taken to Barcelona and shot, but Mrs. Manubens warms to the idea of adopting Andreu.

All this happens with a kind of precipitous energy fueled by the intense but simple cinematography, the understated, compelling acting, the emotional scenes, and the prevailing sense of fear and moral ambiguity in which Andreau remarkably, with the innocence and determination of a boy, sails through unharmed, or at least capable of accepting adoption and going to a good school that will change his future.

It's not necessary to undermine the rich accomplishment of Pan's Labyrinth to praise Black Bread, but it does shine forth precisely because of its simplicity and completely lack of the kind of baroque flourishes del Toro relishes. There is some strong hand-held camera work, but also smooth tracking shots. The cinematography of Antonio Riestra is classic and the editing by Raul Roman is smooth and swift.

According to Jonathan Holland's review in Variety, this is Villaronga's"most mainstream film" but still "retains his trademark subversive edge." Holland also points to the way "as a depiction of rural poverty" the film is "impressive: The darkly lit, richly textured interiors seem to be an extension of the beautifully lensed natural landscape." Something about the simple dignity of the people offsets the danger and moral uncertainty of events and gives one a sense of humanistic tradition even in a world where all's gone mad and main characters like Andreu and his parents reject the comforts of religion.

Black Bread/Pa negre, whose sense of style is timeless, understandably won many awards, an unusual number for a film in Catalan, both at its San Sebastián festival debut and with nine Goyas after Spanish theatrical release including best picture and best director and prizes to most of the main actors. Both Francesc Colomer, who plays the young lead and Marina Comas, who plays his cynical pal Núria, won "most promising" awards. Colomer, who is in nearly every scene, has a limpid confidence that stays with you as a memorable presence long after the final scene.

The film showed earlier this year in the US at the Palm Springs festival. Seen and reviewed as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival 2011.

Story with much drive and tension throughout. It gives some insight in the Spanish civil war aftermath as a bonus

[JvH48 · 9/10 · 12 December 2011]

I saw this film at Noordelijk Filmfestival 2011 (in Leeuwarden, province of Friesland NL). We know very little details from the Spanish civil war, and the period after that under Franco. Our history lessons did not cover it at all. But we could deduce a broad overview from the ingredients that were offered to us throughout the developments in this film. History lessons were passed to us along the line, piece by piece.

A lot of characters are introduced in the story, none of them redundant, even the minor roles have their place and cannot be left out. Their evenly dosed appearances were always understandable, never letting us feel overwhelmed. I was very happy this to be different from some costume dramas, where the viewer looses control and cannot remember how all these persons relate to each other and how they fit in the plot. No problems like that in this case.

Our sympathies with the main characters had to move from time to time, given new facts coming to light, or new suspicions that were seeded by not-so-innocent bystanders. Choices that seemed apparent at first, changed perspective from time to time. I eagerly followed those new directions, and could not escape from the story line (even if I wanted to). It definitely proves that I got involved in the motives of the characters. Well done, obviously having an ingeniously constructed script to work from.

All in all, I found the 108 minutes spent very well. The story has much drive, and its outcome cannot be predicted, maintaining the whodunit tension throughout. Also, the film shows several characters to have a better side, in spite of making a negative impression at first, for instance the school teacher. Reasons enough that the film can be attractive for a broad audience. However, I fear that the "official" announcement text won't work on the casual reader.

A Dark Coming Of Age Tale In Post-War Catalonia

[Chrysanthepop · 11 April 2012]

Agustí Villaronga's 'Pa Negre' has one of the most stupendously shot and chilling opening sequences I've seen among recent films. I wasn't aware of the hype surrounding it, including the fact that it had won many Goyas. A friend had recommended this film.

Set against the backdrop of postwar Catalonia, writer Emili Teixador weaves a complex tale of greed, betrayal, sacrifice and redemption. In a way, 'Pa Negre' is also a coming of age tale but a very dark one. Villaronga does an excellent job of bringing it to screen. His way of unfolding the story and uncovering the truth about the characters is done meticulously. It also provides some interesting historical insight that is less known to those not familiar with post-war Catalonia.

Moreover, the look of the film is quite authentic. The feel of the time seems to have been captured very well. The village and the stunning natural locations are are very real. Cinematography, editing and lighting are superb. The performances are sincere. Young actor Francesc Colomer does a fine job in leading the film. The rest of the actors are equally compelling.

'Pa Negre' opens with three brutal murders and ens with a child's realization of the dark truth that has changed him forever. Villaronga tells a disturbing tale of how war creates monsters even of those whom you've known all your life as loving beings with ideals.

Overrated

[juanpide · 4/10 · 22 September 2014]

This movie is a little bit overrated. In my opinion it received the Goya award NOT for its quality but because of political reasons and string-pulling, like many other things here.

The movie is not too bad, sometimes boring, the best thing it has is the gracefulness that comes from the kids, whose acting is just right, maybe overacting, and the scenery and customs are right too. Sometimes you feel you are in a theater instead of watching a movie.

The story is absolutely not original, we are tired of always the same, the dictatorship. Spain suffered from a civil war and a dictatorship that clashed different social classes and political convictions. But nowadays some people tries to rewrite it and show it as a war against Cataluña, a region of Spain that has never been a nation or state before, though some try to distort history.

We had a bad period but we need to go on.

Very dark and gloomy

[rightwingisevil · 19 May 2011]

This movie has given me the same feeling of what another Spanish movie, "The Labyrinth" did to me several years ago. The cinematography, the lighting, the shooting angles, the colors are just top notched, but the story itself is not as good as the aforementioned elements. There are so many weird and depressed moments in this movie, sometimes even a bit messy. It seems to me that the Spanish people are still deeply haunted by their civil war and could never walk away or walk out of it. This is a very depressive movie full of symbolism. The bird lover father and his caged birds in the attic. The awkward and always confused childhood of the son, the local police chief, the often helpless mother, the whole family clan, the weird and a bit crazy left-hand missing girl...The Spanish dialog is sometimes too quick to be absorbed and understood even with the English subtitle. The struggle of the poor, as always, fell prey to the rich and the powerful. The adults always told their kids that what they did, good or bad, right or wrong, are solely for their kids and it's disgusting. No wonder the kid finally realized what the adults said were nothing but lies. His self denial, rejection and his recognition in the end was an inevitable result, gloomy and hopeless. This is a very heavy movie, just like the heavy colors in this movie.

portrait

[Kirpianuscus · 25 April 2016]

a portrait of Spain after Franco's regime. portrait of the past as root of the fears and vulnerable peace. portrait of childhood looking the source of justice. a novel. and its splendid adaptation. Black Bread could be defined as thriller, mystery or political film. in fact, it is only analysis of grow up in the circle of a wounded world who has not courage to assume the events who defines it. the truth not gives freedom. only creates a way who has ambition to revenge the errors of adults for a cruel pragmatism. a dark film who is useful trip in heart of a community. nothing new. only bitter, cruel and cold. the lost of innocence and the fruits of many compromises as price of survive.and the final answer of a young man who discovers, step by step, the frame of the truth.