--- MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD ----
I saw this movie when it was shown at the Malaga Film Festival last spring, as a friend of mine recommended it to me. I have to admit that probably I wouldn't have gone to see it without his advice, as I hadn't heard anything about the film before its premiere. But now I'm so glad I saw it!
The film tells the story of a group of boys staying at hospital, as they suffer from cancer. Reading this sentence could probably stop you from seeing the movie... but the surprise is that the film is a COMEDY. Yes, you've read well. The story is told with a lot of humor, but obviously with dramatic climaxes as it doesn't leave aside the cruelty of the illness. That's why director Antonio Mercero has done a wonderful job, with an exact balance of humor and drama. This film will make you laugh as well as it'll probably make you cry.
One of the fundamental things about the script is that it's based on co-writer Albert Espinosa's real-life experiences, as he suffered from cancer for many years when he was a child. So who could explain what these boys felt better than him? Whith this idea, he wrote a successful theatre play called "Los pelones" (in English "The bald guys", the familiar way these boys where called by the hospital crew, as they loose their hair because of chimiotherapy), that later became the base of the film Planta 4ª.
The acting is very good as well. Lead young actor Juan José Ballesta is well known in Spain for taking part in some Spanish good movies, and I think the youngest actor to win the Goya (Spanish Oscars) for Best Beginner Actor in his very first movie "El Bola". The rest of the boys are unknown actors to the audience, but perform a superb acting as well. I have the feeling that it'll win some Goyas next year, as it already won 2 prizes at Montréal World Film Festival last September (Best Director and People's Choice Award) and received a special mention at Malaga Film Festival.
I would give a 10 to this film, but I think that including the performance of famous Spanish singers "Estopa" was not a good ending in any way. I could even say that it nearly wrecks the film's overall good feeling. But putting this aside, let's score an 8,5 out of 10.
Anyway I strongly recommend you to go and see this movie. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing it again, as the theatrical release will be next October, 24th in Spain.
I saw this movie when it was shown at the Malaga Film Festival last spring, as a friend of mine recommended it to me. I have to admit that probably I wouldn't have gone to see it without his advice, as I hadn't heard anything about the film before its premiere. But now I'm so glad I saw it!
The film tells the story of a group of boys staying at hospital, as they suffer from cancer. Reading this sentence could probably stop you from seeing the movie... but the surprise is that the film is a COMEDY. Yes, you've read well. The story is told with a lot of humor, but obviously with dramatic climaxes as it doesn't leave aside the cruelty of the illness. That's why director Antonio Mercero has done a wonderful job, with an exact balance of humor and drama. This film will make you laugh as well as it'll probably make you cry.
One of the fundamental things about the script is that it's based on co-writer Albert Espinosa's real-life experiences, as he suffered from cancer for many years when he was a child. So who could explain what these boys felt better than him? Whith this idea, he wrote a successful theatre play called "Los pelones" (in English "The bald guys", the familiar way these boys where called by the hospital crew, as they loose their hair because of chimiotherapy), that later became the base of the film Planta 4ª.
The acting is very good as well. Lead young actor Juan José Ballesta is well known in Spain for taking part in some Spanish good movies, and I think the youngest actor to win the Goya (Spanish Oscars) for Best Beginner Actor in his very first movie "El Bola". The rest of the boys are unknown actors to the audience, but perform a superb acting as well. I have the feeling that it'll win some Goyas next year, as it already won 2 prizes at Montréal World Film Festival last September (Best Director and People's Choice Award) and received a special mention at Malaga Film Festival.
I would give a 10 to this film, but I think that including the performance of famous Spanish singers "Estopa" was not a good ending in any way. I could even say that it nearly wrecks the film's overall good feeling. But putting this aside, let's score an 8,5 out of 10.
Anyway I strongly recommend you to go and see this movie. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing it again, as the theatrical release will be next October, 24th in Spain.