Hard Times (2005)

Very disappointing...

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

There are some exciting scenes in this movie but in general it is second-rate. The shoots are overextended, the characters are not life-like and some actors don't perform well either. I also didn't like multiple nationalist statements which have nothing to do with the plot. I guess the director intended to make his characters mysterious but instead they came out to be unnatural. We are supposed to see how different people successfully struggle with hard times in their lives. But two stories, the one of Carlos and that of Mikel, end up with nothing and the third, the story of Ana, makes a turn without any reason. The movie is very depressive but without any message that derives from it.

This is a hard movie to comment on: nothing spectacular but nothing to rant against.The several story lines each have their interest and each develop reasonably well. The level of satisfaction you find may be more directly related to where you are in your journey than the particulars of each story.There's nothing new here, although several other comments indicate the typical appeal for nationalism (i.e. one of the Cuban protagonists) or the "unusual" (the paraplegia love interest).A nice slice of life en Espanol... well-suited for the Spanish film buff.

I recently saw this film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in California. The person who introduced the film described it as being similar to "21 Grams". I agree with this statement, however, where "21 Grams" left me feeling sad and hopeless, I left this movie with a smile on my face and filled with optimism.Sceenwriter Alejandro Hernandez says the story is "about second chances and hope... hard times are only the prelude to something better." The movie poster proclaims "Life may be full of hard times, but it is ultimately worth it". This is the feeling it gave me.It is an ensemble piece full of some great Spanish actors (notably Leonor Watling and Javier Camera who give great performances). The characters lives intertwine as they deal with turning points in their lives.I gave it a 9 because I felt it was a little slow in places, but besides the pace, I think this film has a lot to offer and we can learn from it. The characters deal with struggles - from relationships ending, fear, work problems and low self esteem, but by confiding in others, they find ways to turn their lives around.I recommend this movie if you need a pick-me-up and if you enjoy Spanish cinema, because this is one of the best Spanish films I have seen recently.

I went to the movies in a cold, lonely afternoon, deep in my thoughts about my problems, nothing to do in the evening but thinking. I randomly chose this movie. And it was the perfect one. Definitely not a superb film, it fits though... perfect for moods like I had that day. Watching the development of some people's hard moments in their lives, from a teenager to an immigrant, a normal worker, a handicapped... can be an interesting activity for those days in blue. Watch it only if you like this kind of movies, otherwise you'll be bored from the first minute -action goes so slowly. Actors do pretty well. I had never seen Eman Xor Oña (Carlos) before and he deserves remarkable attention, his sight fills every scene. Leonor Watling (Laura) and Javier Camera (Mikel) do fine as well, although they don't appear as much as the main character, Nathalie Poza (Ana), who is nominated for the Goya (Spanish Academy awards) and plays a nice role. Through Ana's life you'll experience mother troubles and immigration problems in Madrid as well, with a very accurate approach to the real life and situations in such a big city.