El Bola | Carmen del Valle, Miguel Gutierrez

El Bola | Carmen del Valle, Miguel Gutierrez | Moving

DVDs:

El Bola

	El Bola Carmen del Valle, Miguel Gutierrez Film Movement, 2002 average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Pablo (El Bola) is a 12-year old boy raised in a violent and unforgiving environment. Embarrassed by his family life, he retreats from his classmates, engaging them only through a dangerous game. The arrival of a new boy at school, from whom he learns a new definition of friendship, leads to the discovery of a family where communication and love prevail over domination and violence. The film poignantly parallels the lives of a caring father unable to connect with his willful son, and that of distant Pablo (El Bola) and his abusive father who is incapable of giving him the love he needs, replacing it with something far more sinister. One imprints his son in an improbably gentle manner with a tattoo stylus, the other brutally with his fists. Told through both the children's and adults' points of view, Achero Manas's El Bola is a stirring narrative that lodges in the memory.

for more information click here

Fathers and sons . . .

This multi-award-winning film tackles the difficult subject of domestic abuse and in particular a father's abusive relationship with his twelve-year-old son. The nature of this abuse is revealed slowly, so that like any outsider, we don't see the full extent of it until we've already formed opinions about both characters. The film contrasts their relationship with that of the boy's new friend at school, whose father is a tattoo artist and seems on the surface to be more potentially troublesome as a parent. But as we watch him with his son, we see how is firmness is an expression of his caring and love for the boy. The boys' two homes represent mirror worlds with contrasting emotional dynamics.

The drama in the film emerges as the abusive father's treatment of his son becomes gradually apparent to his son's friend, and we become informed of the near inability of anyone outside the family to rescue him. There is no easy resolution to this dilemma, and we are left with a sense of urgency about this disturbing social problem. The performances of the two twelve-year-olds are wonderful, as they become friends, exploring the early stages of their growing independence. Shot in the streets of Madrid, the film has a gritty, gray urban ambiance, and key scenes are played out along a railway where commuter trains rush by and schoolboys play death-defying games across the tracks.

for more information click here

Moving

Moving story of a friendship between two boys, where one of them is being tortured by his own father. The topic is and unfortunately will be still up-to-date. Sad to realise the reality of such cruelty and traumas for entire life. Worth watching though!

Wish I could give more than 5 stars!

Brilliant, Heartbreaking, superb acting of the 2 kids and all the other members of the cast, Stunning, touching story and wonderful actors,this movie should be an Oscar awards winner. it's very well made, each and every character shows the psychological complexity of the human being, the kids think and act somethimes like adults and the adults like kids or animals, it lets you feel what a real family and a loving father is, but also lets you perceive and understand what Domestic violence,child abuse and sickness means in many countries and places around the world or in your own next door's neighbors.
Beautifully draws the real meaning of friendship, love and family values but also keeps you at the edge of the seat in pain and tears by seeing that abusive cruel sick father. Superb!

for more information click here

El Bola

I just watched El Bola on the Sundance Channel. Normally I don't like reviewing movies, because they're such a personal preference. But I must say that El Bola was a very powerful, moving film. This is definitely not a fun film - children getting beat is no laughing manner. It was amazing to see the way that the law handles the subject in Spain vs. the U.S.

I thought all of the actors were fantastic. The boys' performances were exceptional, especially given their young age. They really drew you into the story and made it feel "real".

Now, having said all of that, I don't know if I would actually purchase the DVD. It's one of those movies that, due to its quasi-depressing nature, I wouldn't want to watch over again. However, I must say that El Bola is definitely a 5-star movie worth watching. El Bola is a film that will stay with you for awhile.

for more information click here

Angels Around the World

"El Bola" is a powerful movie from Spain. In 2000, it was director Achero Manas' first full-length feature after having directed a handful of short film projects. It handles the powder keg issue of child abuse with realism. Juan Jose Ballesta plays Pablo, nicknamed "Pellet." At filming, I believe he was 12. Juan had played on Spanish TV, but this was his first feature. He has worked consistently in Spanish films in the seven years since. He breaks your heart with those eyes that reflect the joy, innocence and love of a child and contrasts with the utter fear for his life. The culminating incident where he spits in his father's face blows the lid off. We know what's coming and watch as the helpless mother flails about pathetically.

Pablo's best friend is Alfredo, played by Pablo Galan. Galan was chosen from 1,600 children who auditioned. He had no previous acting experience. He's a bit heavyset; & his Alfredo is an oddball & loner. Galan was well chosen. He moves effortlessly between the young adolescent alienation, to wild abandon as he crashes the amusement park rides, to sober contemplation as he sees the family friend dying of AIDS.

Beside Ballesta's Pablo, Alberto Jimenez makes the greatest impression as Jose, the father of best friend Pablo. Jose is a tattoo artist. We first view him as wild, tattooing a dragon on fat man's back. As his screen time increases, we see a father who listens to his family, treats his wife & children well and cares about them and his friends. Jose stands up for Pablo, taking risks on the boys' behalf. By the film's end, he is our hero. With six films shot in 2007, Jimenez has had a busy career in Spanish cinema since this film from 2000.

Our villain is Pablo's father Mariano, played by Manuel Moron. The Film Movement DVD explains that the character is sad because of the loss of his first son. However, no explanation suffices for the loveless home life this father creates. I found it interesting that the Film Movement DVD lists stage training and productions for Moron in Spain & Argentina. Moron plays this controlling parent perfectly; and we hate him for it.

Of the smaller roles, all characters are well directed and fill the film realistically. Ana Wagener, who to me looks a bit like Melissa Etheridge's Spanish sister, plays the social worker Laura who advises Alfredo's family on how to handle the situation. Maximo Jimenez plays Pablo's friend Cobeta, a good looking lad who plays a game of rushing onto the railroad tracks before an oncoming train to grab a bottle. Gloria Munoz plays Aurora, Pablo's helpless mother who cannot stop her husband's abuse.

The screenplay leaves an open-ended conclusion. The events have been so disturbing that perhaps we all hope for the best. We could either interpret that things will get better for Pablo or that the father will get away with his domestic abuse. Perhaps in this situation, no one can actually win. This is a powerful film that should be viewed by mature audiences. May our angels around the world help children from every culture who find themselves helpless and attacked.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

products you might be interested in