Alma gitana (1996)
4/10
Why "foreign film" does not always mean "good film"
30 August 2001
Ugh.

We can get the good stuff out of the way first. The depiction of flamenco dancing and the surrounding culture in Spain is really excellent. All of those sequences (although overly long) are very well done. In fact, they lead me to believe that this film would have made a good documentary. Alas, they tried to have a story...

This is, I guess, a romance film. It is a romance film about different cultures and race relations in Spain. If what I just described doesn't sound that interesting, that's probably because it isn't. Other than the above mentioned dancing sequences, there is really nothing appealing about this film. Even the story, which sounds coherent, really isn't. There is absolutely no empathy with any of the characters, evidenced by the fact that none of the people in the theatre I was in seemed to give a hang whether anybody lived or died or lived happily after or what.

I found myself wanting the protagonist to crash his stupid (and uncool, even though no one has apparently told him this) motorcycle into a brick wall and end this mess.
2 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed