El viaje de Carol

Drama with historical and romantic elements ; including enjoyable performances and adequate set design . Carol (Clara Lago), a twelve-year-old Spanish-American girl , daughter of a Spanish mother (Maria Barranco) and an American father , travels to Spain in the spring of 1938 in the company of his mummy . Separated from her father who is helping to fight Franco's military regime near Madrid , he is a pilot in the International Brigades who she adores, as her arrival in a little town transforms maternal family environment full of secrets and dangers . She soon journeys into adulthood through a friendship with Maruja (Rosa Maria Sarda) , the village teacher and forming bonds with old and new friends. Armed with a rebellious nature, opposes life lessons from his grandfather (Alvaro De Luna) and his love for Tomiche (Juan Jose Ballesta) will open doors to a world of adult feelings that will make her trip turns into a tender, vital and unforgettable experience but also tragic . The screen livens up as love blossoms between Carol and Tomiche and as a love of daughter for a daddy becomes evident and finally risked .

Imanol Uribe , also writes the script along with with Angel Roldan , novel's author titled "A Boca De Noche" , filmed in his usual formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the thought-provoking issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . The flick can be defined as a realistic tragicomedy , a romantic history , a historic fresco and a socio-political fable . The main problem has to face "Carol's journey", beyond not being able to avoid falling into the politic pamphlet is precisely derived from the coldness of its staging . Because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this sometimes slow-moving flick , though also contains humorous and sensitive moments as when the children gang is gathered and play and enjoy themselves . Anyway, its is compensated with the great performances from Clara Lago and Juan Jose Ballesta , interpreters who provided a considerable boost to the result . Imanol is a great director of actors and the main players are complemented by a good cast of secondaries as Alvaro De Luna , Rosa Maria Sarda , Maria Barranco , Albert Jimenez ,Carmelo Gomez , among others ; all of them forming a powerful human group of support cast and giving excellent interpretations . Special mention to magnificent musical score by Bingen Mendizabal who composes an evocative as well as sensitive musical score . Including a spotless pictorial cinematography by Gonzalo Berridi and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space . The original story was set in Castile, but Uribe decided to move on north of Spain, where have been shot the gorgeous landscapes , filmed on location in Cantabria, Estación de Puente Taboada, Pontevedra, Galicia ,Palacio Hornillos, Las Fraguas, Santander, Cantabria, and Ponte De Barca, Portugal . The film won three Goya nominations 2002 for Best Production, Actress (for the girl Clara Lago, who made ​​his film debut with this film) and costume design . And won Crystal Bear , Special Mention Best Feature Film for Imanol Uribe in Berlin International Film Festival .

This Fernando Bovaira production was professionally written by Angel Roldan and Imanol Uribe who also directed , though has some flaws and resulted to get an acceptable success at Spanish Box office . Uribe who lived and had a son with actress María Barranco , gained fame early in his career for his controversial socio-political portraits of the Basque people such as ¨Fuga Segovia¨, ¨Muerte Mikel¨ and he turned to thriller as ¨Adios Pequeña¨, ¨Running out of time¨ , ¨Plenilunio , ¨Carta Esferica¨ and drama as ¨Bwana¨ , ¨Rey Pasmado¨ and ¨Extraños¨ .

I was deeply moved by this movie in many respects. First of all, I just want to say that Clara Lago was the most precious little thing! Such a pretty little girl. Her acting was superb as well. True to life and very human. Though I don't like the part where she had to smoke; I hope it was only a fake prop. Either way, she was absolutely wonderful and the story was so moving. I found myself immersed in the story and her character.

It's quite interesting how I came to discover this movie actually. I was walking in blockbuster and I just happened to notice her pretty smile on the cover as I was walking by. Luckily I glanced in the downward direction that this movie was in! I thought to myself, 'Awe, look at her!' So I picked it up and saw that this movie was described as such wonderful things as "A Little Gem." I read the plot on the back and then thought that, well, maybe I'd look it up on IMDb first and then come back and rent it at a later time. I'm glad I didn't, because I certainly would have been missing out. After searching for a movie with my friend, I knew that I would end up regretting not renting this film, so I went back to the spot in which I originally found it and snapped it up.

It had been on my dresser for a week, since school started for me this week and I really hadn't any time to watch it, but tonight was the perfect opportunity. I popped it in and was glued to the beautiful cinematography, delightful score and moving plot from beginning to end. I was so captivated and must say, some parts nearly moved me to tears.

I would also like to make a special mention for the young boy in this film, Juan Jose Ballesta. He was remarkable. Also the actor who played Carol's father, who's name is unfortunately not listed on the site. His voice was just so loving and gentle that I could really sense his love for Carol. Even though his appearance is not prominent, I really felt his character's presence.

This is truly a wonderful movie. If you are a person who is moved by light, but emotional films, then this is definitely one for you.

CAROL'S JOURNEY is set against the background of the Spanish Civil War, which, for those who aren't familiar, was a civil war that occurred because rightist forces in Spain could not deal with the idea of a republican government under which proportional representation was a feature. The Spanish Republic was led by liberals or progressives who were willing to work with labor parties and socialists, and the civil war was led by "dissenters" who had a problem with the idea of Spain breaking away from its semi-feudal past.

Carol is a 12 year old girl from New York City who has returned to Spain with her mother Aurora, to live with Aurora's family and attempt to be a little closer to Carol's father, who is an aeronautic volunteer for the Republic. Within a few months of their arrival, Carol's mother dies, and Carol finds herself having to make a new life with her grandfather and her aunt, uncle and cousins. Her closest acquaintances are a group of street kids, most worthy a kid named Tomiche who knows the ins and outs of survival in wartime and whose father also is a supporter of the new Spanish republic. The storyline basically follows what occurs through preadolescent love and the months following the victory of the reaction (Franco's followers).

The film, as many others have commented here, often falls into the clichés that follow films that attempt to engage with a child's view of wartime. But for those familiar with the details of this chapter of history, CAROL'S JOURNEY resonates in a special way, and is worthy on a number of levels. Definitely worth the hour and a half it takes to breathe this one in.

Carol, the young girl at the center of the story, is transplanted to a foreign land, Spain, at the height of the Civil War conflict in the late 30s. For this girl, everything is new, in it's foreignness. The war and her father are her constant worries, while she has to immerse herself in a provincial culture that is years behind what she has in New York.

Imanol Uribe directs this film by the numbers. Carol's family is obviously divided, while Carol's mother is married to someone that is an air force pilot with the leftist faction, the rest of the family's sympathies are with the Franco and the fascists that won the conflict.

The story adds nothing to what has already been told, much better, but it's an easy film to watch. Northern Spain's magnificent landscape is shown. Don't expect a lot of action since most of what happens revolves around Carol and the young boys she befriends.

Clara Lago plays Carol with sincerity and innocence. Maria Barranco is Carol's mother Aurora, the one that went away to America. Rosa Maria Sarda is Maruja, the teacher who befriends Carol. Carmelo Gomez, plays Alfonso, the man that Aurora left behind when she left for America. This actor, who usually has lead roles in most Spanish films, doesn't have anything to do, as he remains an enigma throughout the movie.

I think the film was charming and innocent. The story is very character driven, and the dialogue is salient. It brought me memories from the time when I returned to Peru at the age of 13, it was a alien country to me even though that was my place of birth. The film forced me to relive those times, with the many adventures I had reuniting with family, and making new friends. I think the director did a great job with having the story told through a child's P.O.V. (point of view), and the way "Tomiche" and "Carol" found each other was remarkably funny, and original. I do agree with others who have commented that the movie is not AMAZING, but it is a story with many merits, and the value is unquestionable.