I picked EL MAR up after having seen Villaronga's IN A GLASS CAGE, which I enjoyed very much. I purposely didn't read anything about this film as I try to avoid "spoilers" anymore so as not to bias my opinion of the film. In this case, a little research may have been in order...
The film begins with three young boys and a young girl who witness/participate in the murder of another young child. The child that actually committed the murder then commits suicide. Cut to 10 or so years later, and the two remaining boys unknowingly meet up again at a tuberculosis sanatorium. The young girl is also there as well, as a nun who helps the ailing "guests". Here we learn more of the kid's backgrounds and witness their lives amidst the backdrop of death that constantly surrounds the sanatorium.
EL MAR is a strong and well made film. Shot beautifully, strong acting, and a somewhat engaging storyline. But it also tended to be dull at points. I also had no real feelings for any of the characters involved as the film didn't seem to dig too deep into their motivations for some of their more "extreme" actions. It certainly is touched-on, but not really explained deeply - thus making it hard (for me at least) to care too much about the outcomes of the characters. There is also a very strong homosexual theme throughout the film - so anyone offended by such material should probably leave this one alone. I am in no way prejudiced against gay people, but I personally can live without watching graphic homosexual scenes on film (including a particularly "rough" rape scene). Overall, I will say that EL MAR is a very "good" film - but it wasn't the type of thing that I would normally watch. 6/10
The film begins with three young boys and a young girl who witness/participate in the murder of another young child. The child that actually committed the murder then commits suicide. Cut to 10 or so years later, and the two remaining boys unknowingly meet up again at a tuberculosis sanatorium. The young girl is also there as well, as a nun who helps the ailing "guests". Here we learn more of the kid's backgrounds and witness their lives amidst the backdrop of death that constantly surrounds the sanatorium.
EL MAR is a strong and well made film. Shot beautifully, strong acting, and a somewhat engaging storyline. But it also tended to be dull at points. I also had no real feelings for any of the characters involved as the film didn't seem to dig too deep into their motivations for some of their more "extreme" actions. It certainly is touched-on, but not really explained deeply - thus making it hard (for me at least) to care too much about the outcomes of the characters. There is also a very strong homosexual theme throughout the film - so anyone offended by such material should probably leave this one alone. I am in no way prejudiced against gay people, but I personally can live without watching graphic homosexual scenes on film (including a particularly "rough" rape scene). Overall, I will say that EL MAR is a very "good" film - but it wasn't the type of thing that I would normally watch. 6/10