Welcome to the second of the chronicles that we will dedicate day after day to the 69th edition of the Seminci – Valladolid International Film Week, the second that a server will cover for El Séptimo Arte. 'September says' – The directorial debut of Yorgos Lanthimos's wife is, to say the least… disappointing. This “disturbing contemporary gothic tale” is weighed down, above all, by the aura of a cheap TV movie that takes over its last third. A final third that undermines the incipient benefits of a film whose credibility is already in question after the abrupt time jump that occurs towards the middle. It has its reason, of course, but it is precisely the approach given to this reason that ends up weighing down this 'coming of age' about two sisters as potentially disturbing as the image of the twins of 'The Shining'. However, Ariane Labed fails to shape any image this powerful, nor does she succeed in infecting an incisive film that barely comes close to being as uncomfortable and disturbing as it is, on paper, the toxic relationship of dependency between the two sisters. Or both with their mother, being for practical purposes like a night of casual sex that ends with a simple handjob. ****'Dust will be' – This “great love story about the decision to die and its consequences” has a problem, and that is that its few numerous musicals do not contribute anything significant to its narrative. More of a superfluous whim to add some vigor, energy or sparkle, feeling like commercial breaks. Not by chance, the film goes from strength to strength since most of these moments are concentrated in its first act. Luckily. Because when they don't interrupt and the film can finally get going, it's truly stimulating, thanks in large part to the discreet, close and dispassionate way in which it deals with such a controversial topic… although it may not be so successful. or forceful as in the 3rd season of 'Rapa'. Comparisons aside (and leaving aside its irrelevant musical interludes), this is a good and convincing tragicomedy driven by the performances of Ángela Molina, Alfredo Castro and Mònica Almirall that grows by emphasizing love and not death. ******* 'The crying' – Spanish cinema usually lacks style when it comes to approaching the vast majority of genres, especially horror. Pedro Martín-Calero's debut, however, is more than enough, being an exception and also one of the most promising debuts in recent years; perhaps, at the level of what Alejandro Amenábar could have assumed with 'Thesis'. Time will tell, but for now his debut feature is a film with a lot of personality and very far from the usual pattern of commercial cinema, being an atmospheric and temperate, patient and absorbing proposal that refers to titles like 'It Follows', 'The Empty Man' or the recent 'Smile 2' and filmmakers like Krzysztof Kieslowski. What's more, its ability to keep the viewer in suspense is surprising, even despite its serenity and having very few impactful scenes. The key, the same as in 'Pulp Fiction': An almost surgical precision and above all not gratuitous to select the right moment to drive the story forward in a concise, direct… and yes, impactful way. Its structure, key to keeping the flame of concern alive, allows it to play with a story that unfolds in a non-linear way in a way that is as solid as it is magnetic. ******* 'Emilia Perez' – Jacques Audiard's latest film has a wonderful start with which the French filmmaker puts the viewer in his pocket. It is practically instantaneous, automatic. But, at the same time, it's still like when a team wins 3-0 after 15 minutes and the game stops having emotion, even if in the end it can extend the advantage by one or two more goals. The feeling that one is left with, mainly, is that of lack of tension. Of nerve. Of uncertainty. Of suspense. One continues to see the game as one sees this one 'Emilia Perez'more because of the inertia of its beginning than because of the conviction in a too-patterned development. It is as if this ridiculous and crazy musical soap opera, proud and not at all ashamed of being so, which is what it is about, were nothing more than what it is, to the surprise of itself: A “narcotransmusical” that nevertheless seems so familiar to us that except in the Zoe Saldaña's musical numbers do not quite transcend their self-imposed label. To put it in some way that can be understood: It is a good film that, however, once established does not impose itself before an initial shock at the mercy of which it remains agile but not surprising. *******
