Lágrimas negras

Fele Martinez plays the part of a photographer that has a beautiful rich girlfriend that loves him and good perspectives of live. One day, he is robbed and raped by two drug-addicts and his lives changes totally, as he becomes obsessed by one of the girls that raped him. She is in psychiatric treatment, as she has the need of destroy the life of the people that are around her; the photographer won't be an exception as his life starts to change and going hell due to the effects of a fatal love. The argument is not bad, but it is a bit absurd, while the film intends to be reliable. The plot is a bit forced. In addition, the actors are not as better as demanded, on fact they are quite bad (despite the fact that they are good actors) and the chemistry between the main pair is really bad, as they don't seem in love at any moment. I know that the director died wile doing the film, and all the cast decided to continue in his memory, but the result is not good, as Franco's substitute is not as good as him in directing. A disappointing film that, at first sight, seems good although being really bad.

This movie, BLACK TEARS in English, deals with the unusual theme of a nice, educated young guy who falls in love with a mentally ill young woman. He is attractive, successful, and about to get married. She varies in appearance and demeanor, belonging to the upper crust of society, from which she often escapes in wild, very dark episodes. This is, arguably one of the best Spanish dramas of 1999, having been nominated for several awards, including the Best Actress Goya for Ariadne Gil in January 2000. The cast is uniformly excellent. Spanish film fans will notice two rather extreme departures in the casting. Fele Martinez (OPEN YOUR EYES, THESIS, LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE) who usually plays goofy, very plain-looking guys has been transformed into a hip and handsome leading man, with no glasses, facial hair, or bad hair, and a pumped up physique. On the other hand, Gil, usually the gorgeous irresistible heroine, is most often shown here as an unattractive and unkept psychopath. So both leads are cast against type, and yet succeed admirably. An unusual drama worth checking out.

I don't know why, possibly because of the DVD cover, but I expected something like the Brazilian/Portuguese masterpiece "Terra Estrangeira" in this flick. It's completely different, although it shares a couple of points. So those fooled by the cover, don't be. But then again, is this any weaker? Hell no! Lágrimas Negras shows us it's no surprise to see divine beings such as Almodovar in Spanish cinema. If an unknown film from the cinema culture of a land can be so magnificent, one should expect it to offer other excellent examples like it already does.

I hadn't heard of any of the actors or the director before seeing this movie, and I was almost shocked by their excellent performance. The picture selection is a little extraordinary, sometimes reminding slightly of "Tésis", yet it's flawless. The actress playing Isabel, Ariadna Gil, is not only one hell of a drop dead gorgeous woman, but she's also acting a mad woman as if she had been a mad woman in her past life!! If I saw those eye gestures in someone in real life, I'd advise her to see a psychiatrist asap. Absolutely no overacting or exaggeration, simply perfect. Be it the director's virtue, be it a great casting selection, the rest of the actors are also doing a great job. I've already fallen in love with Ariadna Gil, but it would be unfair to say anyone else on this movie is anywhere behind excellent. The screenplay is also perfect, so we have yet another person to thank and congratulate. I'm a guy at the age of the head character, and each time I saw a scene with him and his girlfriend, I said "how can a man cheat on such a lovely girl dude?!?". And each time I saw a scene with Isabel, I said "ok, I guess I could be deviated with such a deity as well". This isn't only because both women are attractive, but also because their aura is utilized efficiently and perfectly by the director and the screenplay.

Any grade below 9/10 would be an insult to this movie, so here's my 10/10.

A nice guy falls in love with a schizophrenic girl, who robbed him at gun point. What follows is a "Pretty Woman" or "Autumn in New York" made in a more unorthodox way.

Ariadna Gil is superb as Isabel, the lovely woman with a secret dark side. Ana Risueño also offers a very good performance as Cinta, another woman who fells in deep and profound trouble.

Out of 100, I give it 78. That's good for **½ out of ****.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on October 4th, 2002.

I saw the film at the "Berlinale" in Berlin. It is a very sad story about a young man who is torn between his girlfriend and a woman who first robs him and afterwards falls in love with. But she is mentally disturbed. The people in East-Berlin cheered the director and the main actors. I can recommend it.