Amador DVD Review

Amador
is the latest dramatic work by director
Fernando Leon De Aranoa (Monday's in the
Sun, Princesas). We begin the
film with a beautiful shot of a flower in desert ground, and the
quietly
graceful presence of it is made clear amidst so much emptiness in the
environment surrounding the beautiful flower - it is a flower that is
all
alone, radiant, and in an environment that doesn't support the flower's
message
of life: of beauty, of standing tall, and emanating the richness of
living.
What does a flower do amidst the
soils of the earth? It grows... even if surrounded by weeds. We
all have things we can learn and ways
in which we can blossom, no matter what circumstances befall.
Marcela
is a young twenty-something woman who has immigrated to the United
States. She
is without a job and she is stuck in a relationship with a man who
sells
flowers that he steals and turns over for profit. Nothing about their
relationship feels genuine or heartfelt, and at times it seems as
though he is
being unfaithful to her. Marcela feels alone and doesn't see a future
for their
relationship, and yet she stays with him.
He
wants a refrigerator to store these flowers in and doesn't have the
money to
purchase one so he suggests Marcela find a summer job that is going to
quickly
earn them enough for the down-payment. Marcela finds a job as caretaker
to
Amador, an elderly man who is ill. This quirky drama with a darkly
comedic
under-tone thus takes us on a path of strange occurrences, unexpected
friendship, and some lessons in life and flowers.

This
is a story about flowers. Marcela, the central
protagonist, is a flower
herself: she has beauty inside of her. The flower metaphor is something
that
hadn't occurred to me until after viewing the film first, but which
became
apparent upon reflection. I believe this is one of the central messages
of the
story: we all have flowers within us. We
must let them grow... to allow a flower grow within us. Marcella can
shine and so
can the viewers who listen to the inherent message of the story.
The
film is slow-paced, and
sometimes methodically so. The direction by Fernando Leon De Aranoa
expects
viewers to be along for the ride despite the bumps in the path and the
quietly
curving twists within the story frame and foundation. The main goal of
the
piece seems to be about focusing on the characters. Aranoa does this so
well
that it is unmistakably one of the primary strengths of his direction
and
screenplay. He has also crafted such a worthy female character role,
and one
that lead actress Magalay Solier seems to become entirely absorbed
within.
This
is a moving drama, and the kind
that leads to discussions with fellow viewers after the ending credits
begin to
roll. You ponder about where the characters are going and what was
experienced
over the course of the film. It's one of those intimate pieces that
offers us
more questions than answers: not that it is a film based around the
mysterious,
but it is one that is asking some serious questions about the
mysterious of
life and of flowers. You will wonder about the meaning of it all and it
will
make you grateful that such filmmakers and films still exist.

The
DVD:
Video:
Amador has
been
presented on DVD by Film Movement in the original theatrical aspect
ratio of 2.35:1
with 16:9 anamorphic widescreen enhancements. This isn't a particularly
flashy
looking film, but the cinematography by Ramiro Civita has an ability to
feel
gloomy and surreal during certain scenes and it adds an affecting
feeling to
the film. I noticed some minor compression in the transfer but this is
a
generally pleasant presentation that remains well-balanced. Sometimes,
the film
grain seemed more like digital noise to me, but it came as a minor
detraction
from the generally strong picture quality.
Audio:
The
film is presented in Spanish
with optional English subtitles. The sound design for this film doesn't
require
much activity from the surround speakers because there isn't a lot
going on as
this film relies heavily on a minimalist approach. The dialogue is easy
to
understand and that seems to be the biggest compliment to give this
film. The
music score occasionally adds the necessary emotional backdrop but
composer
Lucio Godoy is wise enough to realize that the production was often in
need of
silence. This is an intimate character-study in every way.
The
audio feels designed to be along
for that kind of ride. Keep expectations in check, and expect
satisfaction.
Extras:
The
primary extra is the monthly short film. This is something that is included on each Film Movement release in the
club. The included film this month is How
it Ended.
From Director Gabriel Nussbaum (18 minutes run-time). In English.
This
was one of the weirdest short
films that I have ever seen included on a Film Movement release. The
characters
and their actions are quite strange, confusing, and I had some trouble
following what was happening. In essence, the story is about an ill
woman who
sits down to dinner for what she believes is her last meal - while
trying to
embrace her husband's young, accompanying lover. Quite bizarre and not
exactly
one that I found easy to connect to. The
conclusion also left me feeling baffled.
Additionally,
Trailers for other
Film Movement Releases and Cast/Filmmaker Biographies related to Amador are included.
Final
Thoughts:
Amador
is a
moving and surprising effort from Spain's Fernando
Leon De Aranoa. The film blends together the darkly
dramatic and comedic in strange, surprising ways. I hesitate from
saying that
the film with be of much comedic interest, but it does have a lot to
offer with
the dramatic pinning's of the story and lead actress Magalay Solier
delivers a
great performance. This is worth seeking out for anyone who loves indie
films
with solid character explorations.
Highly
Recommended.
Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema. He aspires to make movies and has written two screenplays on spec. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.