To sum it all up I thought that from all the Spanish productions I've seen lately Obaba is indeed the best and most meaningful one. The Spanish Film Academy did what they should have and nominated this film as the country's official Oscar entry. I am enormously impressed with Obaba and for what it matters will definitely include it in my Top 10 picks at the end of the year. Outstanding!!

How Does the DVD Look?

Spot on!!

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and enhanced for widescreen TV's this DVD comes courtesy of Spanish distribs Manga Films and as far as I am concerned has very few issues that we need to discuss here. The image is beautifully reproduced and the print Manga Films have delivered simply shines-excellent contrast (very delicate in each of the stories-sometimes soft where the story shifts back in time sometimes sharp and edgy when the director takes its audience back to present days), very good color gradation, not a single speck or dirt-spot that I could detect, and finally a tight progressive conversion. I did notice a smidge of edge enhancement during one of the winter scenes (some of the snow was a bit too heavy for my taste) but to be honest I am perfectly satisfied with the video presentation. PAL-encoded, Region-2.

How Does the DVD Sound?

This DVD comes with two different audio options: there is a 5.1 Basque track (Euskera) and a Castellan-Spanish 5.1 track. I am not fluent in the Basque dialect spoken here so I can not comment whether or not anything has been omitted in the English translation. I can comment however on the syntax (English subtitles) and there is absolutely nothing here a native English-speaker would be unhappy with. As far as the technical presentation goes the beautiful soundtrack has been mixed to perfection and there is plenty of movement that you will notice from your rear speakers. To sum it all up Manga have done an excellent job in the audio department as well. Finally, Obaba comes with optional Castellan, Basque, French, and English subtitles (all in proper white font).

Extras:

Unfortunately none of the extras on this Spanish DVD appear with optional English subtitles. So, I have decided to only list them for you without commenting as to avoid providing you with improper comments (it is worth mentioning however that the "special effects" section is outstanding….see how those green lizards are done!!).

Original Theatrical Trailer-

Photo Gallery-

The Secrets of Obaba-

The Making of Obaba (with multiple interviews)-

Filmographies-

Cast info-

Final Words:

This film is everything I love about cinema: thought-provoking, evocative, beautiful to watch, with a script to die for executed to perfection. But I suppose Spanish cinema proved too intellectually-demanding for some Academy members this year and they quickly sent Obaba back to where it came from (does Obaba even have a US distro-deal, I am unsure).

I rarely give non-R1 DVDs where the extras are not English-friendly the DVDTALK Collectors Series mark but it would be a crime if I awarded Obaba anything less. I watched my screener twice already and the film shows even more potential after the second viewing. If searching for a thought-provoking piece of cinema…see what the Spanish Film Academy has been raving about. They've got it right!!!

Note:
This review was made possible with the kind assistance of Xploited cinema.