Movie Review #2 - A Tiro de Piedra (México)

A Tiro de Piedra
Country of Origin: México
Written and directed by Sebastián Hiriart

Perhaps this one was such a let-down simply because of my expectations.  The synopsis made it sound great – a Mexican shepherd finds a key on the ground and takes it as a sign to embark on the adventure of his dreams, one that takes him thousands of kilometers into the United States. 

Wow, I thought, Dreams, wandering, omens, adventure – this sounds right up my alley! 
I imagined it as being a Mexican version of The Alchemist. 

Unfortunately, it was just that – a 97-minute boring Mexican version of The Alchemist made on a $300,000 budget.  Absent were Paulo Coelho’s wise words, replaced only by long periods of silence and an almost complete lack of dialogue.  The plot moved along very slowly as he progressed northward, and I felt as if I were actually in the car with him – that is, I wanted to take a nap so we could wake up in San Francisco and be closer to the end. 

But the similarities to The Alchemist go beyond the protagonists’ identical lives (both were young shepherds, bored with their lives), their dreams of travel (going to the Pyramids in Egypt versus Oregon in the USA), and the omens that spurred their adventure. 

It was, in fact, so similar to The Alchemist that I knew what would happen to the protagonist in advance – essentially the same challenges and vicissitudes that befall Santiago in The Alchemist: naiveté causes him to get robbed?  Check.  People telling him his dream is foolish?  Check.  Getting lost a few times?  Check.  A buildup to the climactic reaching of his destination, in which he is alone and lost, yet so close to home?  Check. 

The only part from which the film deviated from The Alchemist’s plot was at the end, which was poorly written, confusing, and underwhelming.  It would have been better if the filmmakers had restrained their creative impulses and simply stuck to Coelho’s conclusion. 

But I am being quite harsh - there are a few good things to say, principally seeing the perspective of an immigrant coming to the USA.  As someone who was born and raised in southern California, illegal immigration was something at once a common sight and a misunderstood phenomenon. 

This film gives the international audience a first-hand account of the motivations behind immigration, the challenges crossing the border, and the reception in his new host country.  The protagonist actually goes through San Diego and right past my house, bringing home the struggle that so many people go through in search of a better life.  The protagonist struggles to find food, shelter, and onward travel in a country that misunderstand his quest. 

I really appreciated this aspect of the film and eventually abandoned my hope for a decent plot and instead imagined the movie was an insightful documentary about immigration.  That was the only way to get any satisfaction from this mediocre film. 



Trailer - Here

Movie Review #1 - "Buried" (Spain)

Marko’s Movie Reviews
I saw some great movies and some rather horrible ones.  Let’s start with the bad ones. 

Buried
Country of Origin: Spain
Director: Rodrigo Cortés
Starring: Ryan Reynolds

This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. 

It was produced and directed by in Spain, starred American actor Ryan Reynolds, and took place in Iraq. 

I initially thought that such a combination could be either great or horrible, a hunch proved correct when I learnt the storyline – Ryan Reynolds is buried alive in a casket in the Iraqi desert with only a limited amount of air left and a cell phone in his pocket.  I was interested to see how it would turn out, so I bought a ticket for the midnight premiere and listened to director Rodrigo Cortés give us his introduction. 

The film’s Spanish director knew he was running the edge between creative genius and total failure.  He came out before the screening and gave a charming speech about how he realized he was working within limitations, and that at the end of the day you can’t escape the fundamental constraint – it’s about a man in a box.  The question, he said, was how to make it work within those constraints? 

After watching the film, I proposed a different question – why not pick a less limiting script?  Perhaps, one that involved more than one scene, one character and one setting?   Sure, maybe one of the history’s great filmmakers could make it work, but Cortés could not. 

For one, the Cortés decided to film in real time – that is, second by second as it happened.  This was intended to build tension and make the viewer feel as if he was in a coffin, but instead it only brought awkward moments where Reynolds was simply crying onscreen before a bemused audience.  That sort of crap should be edited out. 

Secondly, the camera never turns off, never leaves the casket, and never shows any actor besides Reynolds.  Aside from Reynolds swearing to himself in the dark, the only dialogue comes via the cell phone he uses to contact the outside world – his family, the embassy, the Pentagon et cetera. 

As Reynolds struggles to contact someone who can actually help him before he suffocates, he is embroiled in the bureaucracy of the State Department, family problems back in the States, the complex politics of the Iraq invasion, and at a few points he is even put on hold, while the audience listens to a disembodied voice say Your call is very important to us…

All of this conflict was channeled into the coffin via Reynolds’ cell phone.  In my opinion the tried to cram too many things into a box. Without editing, multiple characters, and the occasional change of scenery, it’s hard to tackle so many conflicts in one movie. 

After about ten minutes I just wanted to wish the protagonist the best of luck and move on with my life but I sat through it out of respect.  Towards the end I found myself in the awkward position of wanting for Reynolds to either be rescued or simply die – anything to get me out of the theater. 

Oddly enough, most other people liked it and the movie got quite good ratings on IMDb.  I can’t understand such sentiments. 

I think the director summed it up quite well before the movie even screened – no matter what you do, it’s a movie about a guy in a box. 





Watch Trailer Here

The San Sebastian International Film Festival

With this crazy apartment search was going on, I had little time to write about one of the best things I’ve experienced so far – the San Sebastian International Film Festival. 

I've been waiting for this for a long time - I even booked my plane tickets so that I could arrive right before the 10-day festival started.  

Tickets went on sale on the 13th and I picked up as many tickets as I could.  They were divided into various categories, including Made in Spain, Horizontes Latinos (Latino Films), Documentaries, and the jury’s pick. 

After a year in a pueblo without a movie theatre, I was in HEAVEN!  San Sebastian has so many theatres, it has been the site of one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world for 58 years.  We spent a week skipping from movie to movie, making our own observations, only stopping to have a few pintxos and beers before going back again. 

In the end, I saw a number of flicks from Europe, South America, and a few from back home as well.  

The next post will have my comments on what I saw.

Where are the Basques?

Where are the Basques?

After two weeks of living here in San Sebastian I’m finding myself in an unexpected predicament – I don’t have a single friend who is actually from San Sebastian.  I’ve got tons of new friends, but every one of them is a foreigner.  Even my apartment has only one Spaniard, but she wasn’t born here either. 

I’m starting to wonder, where are the Basques?

San Sebastian has been frequented by people from across Europe since summering here was made fashionably by Queen Isabel II in the 1840s.  This trend is only increasing as surfers and backpackers have found its combination of beaches, pintxos, and nightlife an irresistible draw.  Lots of people come here to study Spanish (like my roommates Nick and Kevin) or to participate in the trans-European study abroad program, Erasmus.  I can see an invisible line separating the local people from those of us who have come from abroad.  I intend to cross this line.

Basques have a reputation of being ‘closed’ and ‘cold,' preferring to keep to themselves.  The Basque language is an invisible tie that separates us from the locals, one that I cannot see myself mastering without years of practice.  

Furthermore, Basque social scenes are characterized by cuadrillas, a rough translation of ‘cliques.’  That is, most people have a group of four or five friends that they always roll with, from youth all the way to adulthood.  Boys with boys, girls with girls.  Foreigners like myself usually come and go without ever joining a cuadrilla. 

I’ve never been a fan of cliques, but this seems to be the way of the Basque Country.  Rolling with the locals is the only way to learn a about a culture and that is precisely what I intend to do.  

I have faith.  I realize that I just need to switch up my social scene a bit – spend less time in the bars geared towards Erasmus students and more time in local hangouts.  Luckily, I stumbled across a super underground bar frequented almost entirely by locals.  I’ll be spending more and more time there over the next few months. 

I realize I must find a balance between hanging with my fellow foreigners and the locals and not neglect one group at the expense of the other. 

Little by little, I will immerse myself in the life of San Sebastian.  I am busy setting up intercambios (language exchanges) with locals, branching out to meet the local CouchSurfing community, making friends through surfing, and meeting people out at night. 

Little by little I will join this community, I remind myself.  Little by little.

Roommates of Plaza de Guipuzcoa (AKA the UN Subdelegation on Enjoying San Sebastian)

Four days have passed since that last surprise, and I think everything will be alright. 

I have managed to find 7 great roommates and we’ve smoothed things over with the landlord.  She claims that the construction was a surprise to them as well, but that we will be compensated financially. 

I am too excited to worry about it.  As we approach the first of October, the dream apartment in Plaza Guipuzcoa is slowly transforming from a hostel to our apartment.  We are disassembling beds, sweeping and cleaning, and unpacking our bags. 

Kevin and his nasty moustache

We’ve got a great line-up of roommates. 

First, my buddies from California, Nick and Kevin, will take a room each.  We’ve been hanging out a lot so far, so having them as roommates will only further cement our friendship.  I foresee our trio doing a lot of surf trips, guitar jams, cooking up communal feasts, and making weekly raids into the nearby Parte Vieja.   

Milo, a student from Cornwall in the UK will also join us.  Like me, he is an Auxiliar de Conversacion here in Spain.  He works in Irun, near the French border. 

Nick Ivarsson - The Swede from Cali

From Brittany in the NW of France, we have Maria.  She is also an Auxiliar de Conversacion, working in Hondarribia near the border.  She´s a super-cool girl, an excellent violinist and she´s even promised to teach me French this year.  She and Milo share a common heritage despite being in two different countries.  Both Brittany and the SW corner of England are homes to Celtic populations, much like Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, or Asturias and Galicia in Spain. 

Next is Felipo, a Brazilian student of Gastronomy.  He is a surfer, a cook, and an all-around chiller.  We are glad to have him join the party. 

Maria, the violinist from Brittany, France

Isa is our token Spaniard!  She is great, a really funny, cool girl from Castilian Navarre.  I think she is a little intimidated by being the only Spaniard in the apartment, but what could we do?  It seemed like most of the people looking for apartments were foreigners.  Perhaps this is because many Spaniards live at home until they get married, but I am not sure. 

Lastly, we have Elin, a cool Swedish girl who works for the hostel that owns the property.  She’s been in San Sebastian for a half year and she will certainly show us the ropes as we get acclimated to the life here. 

So that is our dream team!   As Isa says, our apartment looks a bit like the UN! 

It’s going to be a great year and we will all learn a lot from each other.

Now I gotta go, it’s time to get back to unpacking!

Eurkea! The Perfect Apartment is Discovered...With a Fatal Flaw

When I found my apartment, it seemed to good to be true.  Now, as the construction workers surround our building in scaffolding, I wonder if it was. 

At first glance it seemed perfect.  I could not find a better location – a corner apartment overlooking the most picturesque plaza in San Sebastian – Plaza de Guipuzcoa.  A sandstone building built in the Parisian ‘Belle Epoque’ style of the late 19th century, complete with a bustling boutique-lined arcade on the ground level. Two blocks to the beach, 4 minutes to the surf break in Gros and one block to the bars and restaurants in the Parte Vieja.  A central pad nestled in a pocket of serenity between a park and a pedestrian street.  Perfect.

Furthermore, all eight rooms were enormous.  During the summer the place is a hostel, so the rooms are designed to hold 5 people each.  Each room has a balcony with a view of the plaza, the ocean, or the statue of Jesús Cristo atop the nearby Mount Urgull.  To top it off, all the utilities and internet were included – all for 350€.  A steal for San Sebastian.

I saw potential.  With the right roommates, we could turn this apartment into a social center of San Sebastian ex-pat crew.  It could be a couchsurfing hub of northern Spain. 

So I quit my apartment search, told the property manager that I would find the other 7 tenants and put up an ad looking for cool roommates to spent an incredible year in an incredible apartment.  In just a few hours I’d switched from frustrated apartment seeker to the organizer of a dream apartment – after two weeks of searching, I’d finally found my Alberge Espagnol. 

But something was amiss.  The property manager wouldn’t look me in the eyes when she promised me it was a great deal, and I felt like she was hiding something from me.  She said the heating had to be replaced and the bathrooms needed renovation.  I asked her for her word that the heating would be repaired before winter and signed the contract. 

The next day, the construction began.   I woke up from a siesta to find a construction worker erecting scaffolding around my corner room.   My view of the ocean – gone.  I leaned over and asked him how much time it would take.

Cuatro meses, he laughed, Mas o menos.

Four months, more or less.  In Spain, that almost always means more rather than less. 

I felt as if I’d been duped.  I went to the landlord’s office and asked her if she knew about the construction.  She denied it, said she would not be interrogated by me, and threatened to cancel my contract and let me find another apartment. 

My dream of the perfect apartment seems in jeopardy. 

I am unsure what to do, so for now I will just keep searching for roommates and hope it all works out well.

Where to Live? San Sebastian by Neighborhood

Where to live?

The first step is deciding which neighborhood to call home.  Four my purposes, I will divide San Sebastian into four possible barrios where I could live:

Option One – Gros: Home to the surfing beach of Zurriola, this laid-back beach community feels like a town apart from the rest of San Sebastian.  It’s a residential neighborhood of five-story turn of the century buildings stretching from the mountain on the eastern limit of town to the river that divides the beach from the Parte Vieja.  Pros: Mellow surftown-vibes, 2 minutes walking to the beach, and ocean views.  Cons: it would be easy to get stuck in this barrio and never see the rest of San Sebastian, it’s far from where I have to work, and its expensive.

Option Two - Parte Vieja (The Old Town): A beautiful grid of narrow streets and tall, ancient buildings squeezed onto a peninsula between the port, the mountain, the castle and the river.  The most centrally located area and home to the most bars per square meter in the world, so finding a party would be a cinch.  But rooms here are small, expensive and loud.  If I wanted to experience the quintessential cramped medieval apartment situation, this would be my jam.

Option Three – Antiguo:  Tracing the Bahia de la Concha to the other end of town is the posh neighborhood called Antiguo.  This is where many of the city’s rich folk live, and one street belongs to the local futbol club players.  Close to work, close to the university, and with views of the most picturesque beach in town – Playa de la Concha.  But it’s far from everything that matters to me – surf and nightlife.  So it’s really not an option.  Neither are the areas in the hinterlands, where I would need to catch a bus or buy a scooter I can’t afford.  So there is really only one more option…

Option Four – El Centro:  The most centrally located neighborhood, hence the name.  Everything is close from here – two or three minutes to the surfing beach, the nightlife in the Parte Vieja, the Playa de la Concha, and not far from where I have to work.  The only drawback?  It’s expensive as hell.  I guess I better start looking.