Dark Blue Almost Black (2006)

You won't be disappointed!

Thanks for the memories!

Strong and Moving!

Absolutely Fantastic

After a prank followed by an argument with his father, who is the janitor of the building where they live and wants his son to follow his profession, the teenager Jorge (Quim Gutiérrez) witnesses his father having a stroke. Seven years later, Jorge is graduated in management with self-study, but he is stuck in life, working as janitor and taking care of his handicapped father. Jorge seeks a better job in the area he graduated, but he never lies about his duties as a janitor and the health of his father in the interviews; consequently he does not succeed in getting a new job. When his childhood girlfriend Natalia (Eva Pallarés) returns to her apartment after finishing college, Jorge has an inferiority complex but they stay together. Meanwhile his older brother Antonio (Antonio De la Torre) is in jail and falls in love for the inmate Paula (Marta Etura), who wants to get pregnant to be entitled to move to the nursery and escape from the violent mates. When Antonio finds that he is infertile, he asks Jorge to help Paula to get pregnant. Meanwhile his best friend Israel (Raúl Arévalo) discloses a secret about his father while snooping the building on the other side of the street.'Azuloscurocasinegro" is a sweet and very pleasant movie with a good and original story, but the conclusion is weak. Most of the characters are somehow prisoners: Jorge in his mediocre life; his father on the wheelchair; Antonio and Paula in jail; Israel with his dysfunctional family in his father's house. Natalia is her past relationship with Jorge. The lead character Jorge actually lives in a limbo, stuck in his guilty and inferiority complex with his father. This is the second great work that I see of the gorgeous actress Marta Etura, unfortunately unknown in Brazil. She is an excellent actress and I love to see her beauty and charm while acting. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Azul Escuro Quase Preto" ("Dark Blue Almost Black")

I tend to go and see quite many Spanish movies these days. There are more and more reaching the theaters of Budapest, which means the demand for them must have risen. No wonder, since they are very special in the aspect that they can deal with dramatic, sexual and tense situations with ease by always splicing a good deal of black humour, some playful and lovable credulity even into the darkest of plots. However, Darkbluealmostblack stays very stark and grave even with the efforts of trying to tune it down a little bit with a few honest laughters and gigs. A young, shy but capable adult having to take care of his crippled father from virtually no money while his brother is in prison trying to strike up a relationship with a female inmate who only needs somebody to have a baby with is just a little too much misery crowded in one tiny spot of the world. And this is just to start off with. Daniel Sanchez Arevalo took it way too seriously this time making the movie really turn from dark blue to black. It is definitely not going to light your day up. So, be careful with choosing your company for this one.

Make no mistake about it, this first feature by Daniel Sanchez Arevalo is one to seek out, if you've long admired the films of Pedro Almodovar. It mostly deals with a group of Spanish twenty-somethings, who are hemmed in by life in one way or another. The characters seem to move through life, getting by not always with the best methods, but surely the best intentions. Without revealing much, there is one character that plays wet nurse to his invalid Father (victim of a stroke years earlier,after a Father/Son argument), a ner-do well Brother in jail for a crime that is never made known,his girlfriend he meets in theater studies,who he wants to get pregnant so he can get out of prison earlier,and a host of other oddball characters. The film gets good use of indoor photography,with certain colour schemes being used as a visual metaphor. There are other things I could reveal, but won't spoil the fun. Although the film has been picked up for American distribution, you'll probably have to do a bit of searching out for it.

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.