There are several things about this film so clunky and amateurish that they make me cringe. But it kept me glued to the screen anyway. The plot's not the problem: its disjointed nature seemed quite lifelike and realistic. It was very dark, and it surprises me that other commentators can call it comedic and enchanting. It certainly had comedic moments and enchanting moments but I found it pretty wrenching watching a 14-year-old begging her father not to abandon her to her mother, not to mention watching said mother have sex just to try to get money for the rent. But I was moved by those scenes. I was also intrigued by the scenario of the beautiful sister who doesn't have any fun in bed and her plain sister who knows how to enjoy herself. That's not what usually happens in the movies. What bothered me was the following: 1. All the anglo-Australian parts were caricatures of evil (except for one neutral, non-evil shop assistant). Yes, I know that's how Arabs, Germans and South Africans are portrayed in Hollywood films, but I expected more subtlety from this film. 3. Lucia spoke Spanish with a strong Australian accent, and I'm pretty sure you don't do that when your parents are native Spanish speakers. Well, you would if they never spoke Spanish to you, but Lola speaks almost exclusively in Spanish. I don't know quite how I expected the actress (Alice?) to overcome the problem, but it was a problem. 2. Lola looks like a 24-year-old movie star in every single shot, even when her daughter comes back to visit her. While I loved watching her for her sheer gorgeousness, it was hard, despite her acting talent, to believe in her as the mother of a 14-year-old, suffering poverty and stress. All that artfully shot dust never seemed to touch her or her beautiful clothes. Maybe her unchanging beauty was meant to be some sort of statement about how her daughter saw her, but I suspect it was really down to overzealous stylists or the director having a crush on her. Well, it wasn't perfect. I don't even know if I'd say it was good. But it was different, and that's something you don't see very often.
Review of La spagnola
