Lágrimas negras

Part of the problem with this movie seems to be the premature death of the original director, Ricardo Franco. It appears his successor, Fernando Bauluz, couldn't measure up to the work Franco had left behind, and the film suffers in the way it was released.

This is the main difference between a Spanish film and a Hollywood one: When Andres, the young photographer is mugged one night in a Madrid street by two women bandits, one decides to rape him. Had it been an American film, it would have been the other way around.

Everyone in this forum is in awe of Ariadna Gil's portrayal of Isabel, a young woman suffering from mental problems that are deeply rooted. While Ms. Gil gives an intensely charged performance, her co-star Fele Martinez, never rises to the occasion, as he never appears to be this man possessed by a passion that consumes him. The chemistry is wrong between the two leads and it shows. No amount of fixing could correct what wasn't there to begin with.

The screen play, written by Mr. Franco and Angelez Gonzalez Sinde doesn't help clarify the action, which in a way, contributes to derail what the late director probably set out to do. In his hands, maybe another movie would have resulted.

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.

Charming and sensitive drama about an outlandish love story starred by some troublesome characters. Andrés (Fele Martínez) is a young photographer whose life is completely sorted out. He has a steady job and is about to marry his longtime girlfriend Alicia (Elena Anaya) . Then a woman named Isabel and her mate (Ana Risueño) rob him on the street and he is kidnapped at gunpoint. The two women result to be drug addicts and thieves. Andres' life is completely shaken after he meets Isabel and disturbed by this traumatic experience. When he sees Isabel in the images where he works, he looks for her, finds her and establishes a peculiar relationship with her. But something about this mysterious woman changes everything. Isabel is a really tormented woman, she's not really crazy, but simply different, then Andres can't help, being attracted to her. Despite the warnings of his psychiatrist Marta (Elvira Minguez) that she is crazy and that she cannot be cured, he begins a love affair, he goes with the deranged and drug addicted girl to Portugal.

A downbeat and brooding film dealing with a suffering and tragic love story. A sad story about an 'amor fou' in which Andres follows Isabel wherever it might be necessary, whatever the consequences. Following the line that begins with the documentary ¨Después de tantos años (After so many years)¨ and continuing with his greatest success: ¨La Buena Estrella (Lucky Star)¨(1997) the scriptwriter and director Ricardo Franco makes the most risky and complex of his works. He died in the middle of filming, when he had only shot a third of the film, his assistant and friend Fernando Bauluz finished it, which gives rise to various hypotheses about how it would have been if he could have finished it personally.

It is a work of certain dramatic complexity, where a too young Fele Martínez appears somewhat lost between Ariadana Gil as a woman with a mental disorder, and Elena Anaya as his , becoming a puppet in their hands. His love story with Ariadne doesn't work properly and isn't very credible, so to speak. Despite everything, and having several imperfections and cracks, the film is set to be one of the greatest love stories of the last decades. Presented at the Valladolid Festival in a somewhat hasty montage, it is released again with 5 minutes less and surrounded by a certain curiosity due to the conditions of the shooting and the death of its director, which does not benefit it much, both with the public and with the critics.

In the film stands out the colorful cinematography by cameraman Gonzalo F. Berridi , shot on location in Madrid, Cascais, Sinatra , Lisbon, Óbidos, Leiria, Portugal. As well as the enjoyable and moving musical score by Eva Gancedo. The motion picture was produced by great producer Fernando Bovaira ; being unevenly directed in his particular style by Ricardo Franco and finished by Fernando Bauluz . This was a Spanish director, writer and lyricist , he was a member of Madrid's independent Cinema, making films about the underprivileged . Ricardo directed a series of award-winning movies firmly establishing him as one of the best Spanish filmmakers , in spite of his early death , as he died on May 20, 1998 in Madrid at 48 years old . Franco was a good director and writer , an expert on literary adaptations and especially known for dramas. His first independient film was ¨El Desastre of Annual¨ (1970) . Later on , directing several decent , interesting and provoking films as ¨Restos Del Naufragio¨, ¨San Judas de Frontera¨, ¨Después Tantos Años¨, ¨El sueño de Tánger (1991)¨ , ¨Berlín Blues (1988)¨ , his big hit: ¨La Buena Estrella or Lucky Star¨ (1997) , ¨Berlín Blues¨ , and Lágrimas Negras (1998) . Rating: 6/10. Attractive love drama with fine Spanish players.