Director: Jonathan Cenzual Burley
Starring: Andrea Calabrese, Javier Saez, Feliz Cenzual, Francisca Lucas, Luis Cenzual, Diana Pintado
Running Time: 79 minutes
Certificate: 15
Extras: Making Of/Outakes, Recording The Soundtrack, Trailer
Just looking at the cast list you will see some familiar names. Not because they are famous stars; I mean because they are familiar with one another. With so many family members congregating to work on one film you would be right to assume low budget, but wrong to assume lack of quality. The inclusion of family members to this little indie, does nothing but add to the overall themes of the film.
The film is separated into chapters, sometimes episodic, but usually connected in some way to death, loss, and family. The prologue gives us a brief overview of womanising Evaristo de la Sierra, a man who fathered two sons that he has never met. The scene is shot, as are other dream sequences and the like, with a filter to add a sepia tint and scratched effects. These are fairly simple effects that anyone could find on even the most basic home editing software, but it does work. More demanding connoisseurs may roll their eyes at such simplicity, and they are well within their right to do so, but if you’re willing to follow the film for a little bit longer, you’ll soon be lost in its charm.
We discover that Evaristo has died and his two sons, both from different women, are now meeting for the first time at an abandoned train station where they intend to journey to their father’s funeral; easier said than done when they discover that trains no longer pass by this station. The two soon embark upon a road trip that will force them to bond in an unexpected way, over the father they never knew. From the outset the differences between Miguel (Javier Saez) and Nero (Calabrese) are clear. One is excited by the opportunity of starting life with a new member of the family, while the other is happy the way things are.
As the film progresses we see a number of, often surreal, events that make comment o death. With highlights including the brothers meeting a man who attempts to kill himself because he always falls asleep. Through the brothers actions, they bring new meaning to the man’s life, but not in the usual preachy or sickeningly sweet way. They meet a woman who tries to paint the countryside with watermelons, an apparition of their deceased father, and also stop along the way to have many a conversation about mortality. These are often very humorous and interesting, most importantly of all the discussion as to if dogs have souls why not flies? These musings will vary in their affect o each individual viewer regarding their own personal experiences, which is why the film is impressive, because it is personal.
It’s shot fairly well for its budget. You’ll notice a few crooked shots, and perhaps some scenes that could have been composed better, for example, a bit less headspace here, panning to the right there etc. It’s something we take for granted a lot of the time, but it does stand out and it can be distracting. In saying that, Cenzual Burley also captures some beautiful landscapes and colours. We can really feel the heat bearing down on us thanks to the oranges, reds, and browns. Something done exceptionally well is presenting the overcast skies without giving a feeling of doom and gloom. It comes across as the funeral being a time for reflection and not necessarily all tears and sadness.
Overall I’d describe this as a valid curiosity. Something I would gladly watch again and encourage others to sort out. But at the same time, it should be taken as the first and experimental piece of a directorial debut. Viewing it as such gives added appreciation to the craft as a whole.
Extras: The Making Of/Outtakes shows just how small and personal the film was to make, with skeleton crew gathered round and a lot of ideas being tried out on location. It’s only just over 4 minutes, but it does give us some background to the project. Recording The Soundtrack is, again, just a few minutes of star/composer Calabrese, sitting in a garden with a guitar and singing. Both of these extras are very short, and I would have loved to have seen more, as they helped me appreciate the film a little more.
El Almas De Las Moscas (The Soul of Flies) is available to own on DVD from 22 October, courtesy of Matchbox Films. Order your copy here: amazon.co.uk/dp/B008US3VHI
