We usually don't watch television for several reasons, one of which is the lack of time. Also, we devote enough (and too much) part of the day to other screens that surround us so watching TV has become completely pointless to us. However, there is one interesting film program that airs on Friday evenings at 10:00 p.m. on the rtve (Radiotelevisión Española - Spanish Radio and Television). That program, Historia de nuestro Cine - The History of Our Cinema, is an exception in our TV-watching habits. That is the moment when the cinema visits our home and we kindly welcome it with our attention.
The director and host of this program is Elena S. Sánchez. I must confess that she is doing excellent work while bringing guests to her show (actors, film directors, managers, producers, film critics etc...) enriching the experience with eloquent questions and thought-provoking topics before a movie starts.
The last three movies we watched made a great impression on us so I decided to bring them today to Hive. One note, but a very important one - this program brings just Spanish movies, so don't expect famous Hollywood blockbuster movies.
Mar adentro (The Sea Inside)
This movie was presented in this TV program three weeks ago, on 1 March 2024. The film is based on real events from the life of a man who opened a taboo topic in Spain. Euthanasia. He was Ramón Sampedro and he fought for 28 years for his own right to die. Living a whole life in the bed, without the ability to move can't be easy for the person who suffered an accident as young, but it can't be easy for his family either. His brother and his family gave up on their own lifestyle and dedicated all their time to taking care of him. His desire to die was not easy to accept by the others... This topic is still so difficult to talk about and give an objective opinion...
He suffered but his family suffered also. A constant fight for life, does it make sense for a man who can't move already for three decades? How his efforts to legalize euthanasia finished can be seen in the movie, if you are strong enough to watch it. The great cast that brings you this thought-provoking topic is Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas... This drama was directed by Alejandro Amenábar and released in 2004.
Heroína
A week ago, on 8 March we got to see another drama based on a true story. It was very intense and showed a lot of love and willingness of mothers from one town in Galicia (a part of Spain) to fight for their children who were involved in drugs.
This brave mother, Pilar, had to face many challenges in her own family too, defending her son who was an addict but also in society. It can bring some real life-threatening dangers when you want to fight drug dealers and it can even bring trouble to your own son who is spending years in prison... Mothers never give up on their children and find strength and determination to keep on the battle even if addiction and drugs are not easy subjects at all.
El habitante incierto (The Uninvited Guest)
The Uninvited Guest was on our screen yesterday evening. I loved it because of the genre (thriller, home invasion, psychological drama) and because of the topic it covered. Directed by Guillem Morales, this movie makes you check thoroughly whether someone is hiding under your bed or in the closet. What if someone lives in your house and you don't know if it is for real or just the fruit of your fantasy...? And if the house is big, the search for the uninvited guest can drive you crazy.
In the majority of moments our protagonist is certain that an individual has sneaked into his house, stalking his life and habits, but he is unable to find the intruder. His mental and emotional imbalance after his girlfriend left him does not help him think calmly and vulnerability and losing control are inevitable. He hears noises and sees the presence of strange things, he feels that someone is observing him but from being a victim of this circumstance things change drastically at one point in the story.
Although there was an unexpected development of the screenplay the home-invasion subject didn't leave at all. Moreover, it intensified but from the opposite perspective but I don't want to reveal too much. If you like this thriller genre I recommend watching it (Spanish-speaking users have an advantage here as I don't know whether the movie can be found subtitled in English).
Suggestion - watch it in the dark, as we did! And don't forget to check your home after watching the movie. 😁
All the images in this post are screenshots I made from the TV show History of Our Cinema and the three movies they broadcast.
