After April’s traditional ration of literary celluloid, the Cine Club of Alcalá de Henares returns to routine in May. Four films highly praised by critics make up the month’s programme. A quartet replete with the distinguishing features of the feature films screened by the Cine Club. Quality is what unites these films, each with its own genre, style and origin: ‘In Bruges’ (United Kingdom, 2008), ‘Cloud Nine’ (Germany, 2008), ‘Estómago: A Gastronomic Story’ (Brazil-Italy, 2007) and ‘Rachel Getting Married’ (United States, 2008). They will all be shown four times on the big screen in the Teatro Salón Cervantes.
The screenings will begin on the 6th and 7th of May (18:30 and 21:00) with one of the surprise hits of last year, ‘In Bruges’. It was directed by Irish Filmmaker Martin McDonagh, who has for some time now been lauded for his scripts for film and theatre alike. McDonagh, who won an Oscar for his short film ‘Six Shooter’, makes his debut directing a feature film. Behind a somewhat confusing title, there lurks an adrenalin fuelled and hard-hitting film nourished by a whirlwind of cinema references. Ray and Ken are a pair of hitmen obliged to take a two week break in Bruges. Colin Farrell and Brendan Glesson are the stars of this film, which jumps between comedy, intrigue, thriller and drama.
A radical change in direction takes us to ‘On Cloud Nine’, an introspective drama directed by Andreas Dresen. The filmmaker sets his sights on older people, one of society’s groups whose problems receive very little attention. He examines the lives of a man and a woman from a sexual point of view, a ground-breaking formula employed with great tact. Between Inge, happily married for more than three decades, and 76 year old Karl, there emerges an unstoppable and unexpected passion. The story of this relationship in ‘On Cloud Nine’ tackles the meaning of love and sex in old age. The film will be screened on Wednesday the 13th and Thursday the 14th in the TSC (18:30 and 21:00).
Gastronomy, love and social relationships are the main themes taken on by ‘Estómago: A Gastronomic Story’, awarded the Espiga de Oro at the Seminci Valladolid International Film Festival 2008. Raimundo Nonato cooks in a bar, in an Italian restaurant and in prison. Gastronomy is his way of isolating himself from the social hurly burly that surrounds him and of winning the trust of his colleagues in the oppressive environment of the prison. On his journey he crosses paths with love, power and sex. A colourful film combining humour and social and individual drama, which will be screened on different days. The normal Wednesday session is being moved to Friday, so ‘Estómago: A Gastronomic Story’ will be screened on Thursday the 21st and Friday the 22nd in the TSC. The times are the same as always.
May will be brought to a close with ‘Rachel Getting Married’, the latest film from Jonathan Demme, director of the acclaimed ‘Silence of the Lambs’ and ‘Philadelphia’. On this occasion he turns to family business. Kym, an ex-model with rather dubious habits, returns home for the wedding of her sister Rachel. A seemingly joyous weekend that brings out the tension between the different family members. Anne Hathaway stars in this drama to be screened on Wednesday the 28th and Thursday the 29th, marking the end to this month full of quality cinema.
