It Snows in Benidorm

Coixet tríes bravely a new poetic film with some good points (Sylvia Plath in the old fishermen' s Benidorm), but losing rhythm and falling inadvertedly in some image and lyric topics

After years of faithful service to The Bank, Peter Riordan is given early retirement, first on his list list is a break with his brother in Benidorm, only he isn't there, he does however encounter his brother's business partner Alex.

It wasn't quite what I was expecting, or maybe not what I'd hoped for, but it was a relatively enjoyable movie. At two hours, it's over long, and there are some scenes that are painfully slow, but the story itself is interesting, and watching Peter unravelling his brother's disappearance is enjoyable.

It owes a lot to the brilliance of Timothy Spall, who elevates the film quite a lot. Sarita Choudhury was very good also, she had a definite presence.

I can understand why some say it doesn't really go anywhere, and for some I can see that it could frustrating, but as a character study, it's quite enjoyable.

6/10.

I like Timothy Spall as a actor and the fact i live near Benidorm made it a bit more interesting for me looking for cast extra's i know. The film started off great and then nothing happened. If anything it confused my as to why someone would spend such a budget and why Tim accepted this lead role.

Some of the scenes were plastic looking compared to the real life Benidorm, especially in the nightclub areas, it made the movie look like, almost amaturish. God knows why it was nominated, as after he arrives in Spain and realises his brother is missing, nothing else worth substance really happened. It got really boring, really quickly. It was so exciting, i couldn't wait till the end to start some housework.

I get what the director and writer Isabel Coixet was trying to accomplish with It Snows in Benidorm. The idea was to create an ethereal story about a fish-out-of-water gentlemen who gets a new lease of life. The story about finding a missing brother is just a McGuffin. Nothing is resolved and that story just plays in the background as an excuse to meet new characters.

The problem with the film is not just the pacing but the idea that there is a degree of other worldliness with Benidorm. Lots of the shots are done in slow-motion with an esoteric soundtrack, to imply importance or mysticism. These are done when we watching a hen party, the nightlife or when Alex is seeking out Peter or visa versa. It is basically trying to be like the film Babel or Disconnect, but unlike those two films, ISIB has nothing to say.

This is a great shame because Timothy Spall is an amazing actor and in here he is wasted. The film either needed to be one thing or another. It either had to be about Peter trying all avenues to find his missing brother (think Get Carter) or it had to be about a shy reclusive man finally coming out his shell (think Being There). With the juxtaposition of the two story lines, it does not satisfy either one.

Finally the character of Peter did not feel real. As a deputy bank manager, Peter comes across as too naïve to feel credible. There was also a bit about a Spanish poet that obviously means something to Coixet but left me indifferent.

Also I very much doubt any Spanish taxi driver would be remotely interested in talking about Brexit, a subject even the Brits are fed up talking about.

I liked this setting, it started sincere, narrated, introducing the protagonist and his peculiarities, tried to keep a mystery/suspense about the brother, but it didn't work very well, we know a little about the Bernidorm culture, however nothing very attractive besides, the story becomes dragged and long...