Nieva en Benidorm

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.

It starts off well, but gradually descends into banality as the viewing time progresses, as elements are introduced that disregard the Chekhov's gun principle. It simply confuses. The standout is Timothy Spall's character, an innocent man who believes his brother is still as dull as ever when it comes to enjoying life, but upon arriving in Benidorm to visit him, he finds that nobody will tell him where he is. It's a compelling plot that maintains good suspense, and the character's dramatic scenes capturing the essence of Benidorm are also commendable, but that device loses its quality in the second half of the film and becomes tiresome. Nonetheless, Benidorm strikes me as an ugly, extremely ugly city, and this movie has only increased my aversion towards it.

However, not all of the film is shot in Benidorm. The part where they showcase the abandoned amusement park is actually the Pola Park, a children's amusement park located in Santa Pola, where I used to go every summer as a child.

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.

This starts off as one film and ends another, with a change mid way through; something I would find interesting but here it's taxing and very boring.

The usually reliable Timothy Spall is solid but I can help but feel he's getting more typecast as lonely, gruff middle aged men- see Mr Turner, Mrs Lowry and Son, The Last Bus and TVs The Sixth Commandment, that I could tell which direction his character would take .

I feel it would work best as a straightforward drama of a drab and lonely man ' finding himself' in Benidorm, with romance blossoming.

The stranger in a stranger land concept worked best with Tim Roth in 'Sundown', this could have aimed for that. Even a 'About Schmidt' plot would work.

The thriller aspect doesn't catch fire and is too slowly paced, doesn't grip either.

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