Thursday, May 28, 2009

'Little Ashes'



Saw 'Little Ashes' today. It is a pretty good film about the fiery friendship/almost affair between Salvador Dali (Robert Pattinson) and Federico GarcĂ­a Lorca (Javier Beltran).
Pattinson turns in a complex and compelling performance as Dali, creating a character that is alluring and frustrating but one you ultimately empathize with. I think it redeems him from his current teen heartthrob status. Thankfully there were no squealing 'Twilight' fans in the theatre, squirming in their seats with excitement from catching a glimpse of the partially nude actor. His brief partial nudity shouldn't overshadow his good performance.
After a bit of a meandering first segment where the social and political climate of 1920s Spain is established, the film picks up and engages when it focuses on the relationship between the two artists. Aside from a cheesy moonlight kiss during a midnight swim, the attraction and chemistry between Dali and Lorca is palpable and organically revealed. Their unrequited desires come to an explosive breaking point in the most memorable and powerful scene of the film, a heart wrenching sex scene between Lorca and Margarita (Marina Gatell, who almost steals every scene she's in) as Dali looks on. Overall, things don't quite add up to make the film great, but it is good.
The struggle that Dali and Lorca face in coming to terms with their feelings for each other in a society that condemns and punishes them is timely in 2009 as even in California, hate is being upheld (with Prop 8).




The End

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see it. It didn't get very good reviews but still...the combination of tortured artists and unrequited love...it always does the trick for me.