Obra maestra

Would be filmmakers with an obsession for making their own movies, should check this satire as a guide about what to avoid when going into production. The two desperate men at the center of the story seem to ignore the basic fact: they have no clue about how to make a film.

Benito and Carolo, two men who live in their own fantasy world, try to sell their ill conceived idea of a movie to Amanda Castro, a star that has seen better times. She has fallen into despair by drinking a lot. The pair resort to kidnapping Amanda, who they think would work well with the indie they decide to film. Who knows, it might resuscitate her career!

David Trueba's script started probably with a bright idea. Unfortunately, the film becomes a tedious, which at 115 minutes, is much too long for its own good. Bringing Santiago Segura and Pablo Carbonell to give life to his two would be film directors, doesn't add much to the overall fun of this film. Ariadna Gil, who is romantically involved with the director, doesn't add anything to the movie.

A masterpiece, this movie is not!

These two guys are Spain's top comedians? If that's so, then comedy in Spain must be a very laid-back affair. I was never sure whether this was meant to be a comedy or a drama. It was an OK movie, no more than that. Ariadna is very pretty in a tough / punk kind of way.

After Patty Hearst got released by her kidnappers, there was quite a media feeding frenzy about how kidnap victims can gain sympathy and eventually ally themselves with their kidhappers. There is a fascinating aspect of that in this movie. The girl is kidnapped and forced to take part in a very amateurish movie, which she loathes. And she feels nothing but contempt for them.

Yet she eventually takes pity on her kidnappers. For a number of reasons, you'll have to work those out for yourself when you see the movie.

OK, it's only a movie, and a comedy at that, but even so, this particular point is very well made.

So, you want to make movies? Then you must see this one.

Spanish comedians Pablo Carbonell and Santiago Segura gave an unexpected dramatic twist with this movie... pathetic wanna-be film-makers kidnap a huge star (Ariadna Gil) in order to shoot their own movie. What follows is a heart-breaking story about the distance between wishes and reality, between expectations and talent.

It's hard not to empathize with the characters, and the movie has a few great sequences, but, somehow it is too pathetic. Anyways, I really liked this one.

Just give it a try.

Obra Maestra ("Masterpiece" in Spanish) was released in Spain more or less at the same time as Cecil B. Demented, and this was quite a coincidence, since both movies have very a similar set-up: A famous actress is kidnapped by guerrilla filmmakers so she will star in their crazy no-budget stab at making a movie. This superficial similarity in the plot line can only have hindered Obra Maestra's chances at an international distribution, and this is really unfortunate, because the similarities end very soon, and Obra Maestra is so much better than John Waters's disjointed farce.

This is a truly charming gem of a movie with real heart, where there are no good or bad people but just three very different characters thrown together in an uncomfortable situation and trying to come to terms with their limitations. The evolution of the characters and their relationships feels credible, not at all forced, and you end up appreciating them and seeing both the good things and not-so-good things about them, just as they also learn to do. And on top of this, it's very funny as well. Carbonell and Segura are two of Spain's top comedians, and they're on great form here, their characters made even more ridiculous by playing against the "bitter bitch" Gil, who is basically reprising one of her usual roles and can do this in her sleep. The best thing is that, like all the best comedies, Obra Maestra can make you laugh, but also be very touching. Don't miss this film if you ever come across it, you won't regret it.