The Final Game

Importante es desportes espana, but as a silverscreen product its no more than a mehh. I do remember both the barcelona and atlanta gold finals as if they were yesterday, and for the motion of the sport they shouldve used authentic clips instead of using amateurs threading the waters when showing the game scenes...

anyway its a typical sports movie that follows the chain of events till success, were the oddballs ditch the favourites and so on. There are really nothing that stands out for gold in the production, its slow on the story and purges every moment of conflict as much as possible. Acting, well they look fit, just like the aquatics loving grumpy old man (or mr.sixpack) did decades ago. Anyway its just ''viva espana'' por favor og sånn så det...

"42 Seconds" is a film produced by the Spanish government and directed by Dani de la Orden and Álex Murrull. It's a sports film that tells the story of how the Spanish water polo team prepared for the 1992 Olympics, in which they hosted the tournament.

The film revolves around two players, Manel Estiarte and Pedro García, played by Álvaro Cervantes and Pedro Llorente, respectively; the latter is known for his role as "Denver" in "Money Heist." It's interesting that these two players were chosen to tell the story because the only thing they share is their proficiency in water polo; they have absolutely nothing else in common, and this means they have to learn to perhaps not love each other, but to respect each other.

The story tells how, after a rough patch for the Spanish water polo team, coach Dragan Matutinovic arrives, splendidly played by Croatian actor Tarik Filipovic. Dragan's first decision is to create, for the first time, a Spanish national team that combines Madrid and Barcelona residents. This is difficult at first due to the culture shock. Madrid residents are more party-loving, free-spirited, and lacking in discipline, contrasting with Barcelona residents, who are disciplined, quiet, and calm.

The main problem in the film is when Manel betrays Pedro after seeing him using cocaine, a complaint that leads Dragan to order them to share a bedroom so that Manel can keep an eye on Pedro, who lacks self-control. In the film, we see how Dragan mistreats his athletes, but this can be interpreted not as Dragan being a bad person, but as him doing it to foster discipline and unity within the team, stemming from the hatred shared by the people of Madrid and Barcelona toward Dragan Matutinovic for his brutal treatment of the players.

The film's challenge was obviously not easy, as water polo is a forgotten sport in the sports genre and in the film industry as a whole; however, they manage to convey that feeling of excitement to the viewer in every match in the film. Indeed, they manage to make you feel excited for every goal, and that's not easy for any screenwriter and/or director.

The only thing not so good about this film is that in certain parts it becomes predictable, as happens in soccer movies, but, given that it's about water polo, it's acceptable. Equally worthy of criticism is the reliance on generic things like last-second goals and the like.

In conclusion, "42 Seconds," apart from teaching you about unity and the results of teamwork, also gives a different flavor to a genre that usually works with boxing, soccer, basketball and Formula 1. The development of the relationship between the characters Manel and Pedro is well achieved and although, as I already mentioned, it is a generic sports film, it is so well done that it doesn't matter if it is predictable because the viewers become attached to them and their stories.