Una sonrisa a la vida

Movies are rarely about just one thing. Each person in a cinema is having a different experience and it is a subjective call for anyone to declare what that movie is really about. This is particularly so with the Spanish film Truman (2015). Described as a comedy drama, some will experience it as a humorous tale of deep male friendship; for others, it is about a man's love for his dog; but many will feel it as an emotional study about choosing how and when to die when all hope is lost. It is all of the above which makes this film an unusually intense multi-layered story and it is told with great warmth and honesty.

The linear plot spans a four-day unexpected visit by Tomas (Javier Camera) who has flown from Canada to Madrid to see his long-time friend Julian (Ricardo Darin). Both know it is the last time they will see each other and the time is spent helping Julian settle his affairs, sort out arrangements for the care of his dog Truman, and make a flying visit to his son in Amsterdam. However, what happens in this film is less important than how it happens. Many scenes are touching vignettes about small things that are overlooked when living at full pace. He bumps into a friend who does not know how to talk to a terminally ill man and another who does; there are wordless hugs between a father and son; and the meetings about Truman's future seem sadder than taking leave from human friends. Throughout all this, the story remains focused on the friendship between two men as they ride the emotional roller-coaster of knowing that time is short. They share humour and tears as only two old friends can, and Julian's portrayal of brave acceptance holds the story together.

Dramas about loss and grief too easily slip from melancholy to melodrama but there is little of it in Truman. Camera and Darin are superb in their roles, each articulating an emotional language that is expressed through facial expression and voice tone. They reveal their inner selves using minimal dialogue and the free-flowing etched lines on their faces. The story easily gets under your skin with its open, tactile and gentle masculinity, aided by the way that Truman serves as a bitter-sweet metaphor for grief. Julian's remark that "each person dies as best he can" will be confronting for many but this is one of several recent films that demand an honest conversation about dying.

I was in Barcelona, one of my favourite cities, in December and was looking at the Verdi cinema to find a film to watch. I was attracted by Truman because it's a Spanish film, but has English subtitles. I'm struggling to learn Spanish, so this seemed ideal for me.

What a great choice! The Spanish dialogue is reasonably simple and slow so I understood most of it. The story is simple and of interest to all of us; I also love animals.

A really good film - very moving, funny and sad. The words are simple, but the film is excellently well acted and full of underlying emotion. I found myself laughing and crying at different moments.

Ricardo Darin plays Julian an Argentinean émigré who now lives in Madrid and is something of a 'has been' actor. He is divorced and his kids are all grown up and forging their own paths in life. But he has a dog – Truman whom he dotes on. Then one day his old best friend turns up. This is Javier Camera playing Tomas. He has come over from his new life in Canada to see his old friend, for possibly, one last time.

The story shows how despite a gap of many years they are able to pick up from where they left off and can be as honest with each other as only true friends can be. The dog though is central to everything. They also catch up on past lives that had lain half remembered until now.

Now as a comedy this sort of fails as the humour is more incidental rather than up front. Where it does score is on the relationship side and a very gentle unfolding drama where we sort of know the ending from nigh on the beginning. That said there is enough here to give the plot a degree of vibrancy that engages the viewer. In Spanish with good sub titles this is a reflective film that is designed to be such and will reward those looking for a film with both feet planted in realism.

Tomás, a long time friend with Julián visits his mate in Madrid. Julián is ill with cancer for one year and he has decided to stop his treatment and assume death. He has told his decision to his family and friends, but not all of them are ready to accept it. Together, they visit different places in order to arrange the day after Julián's departure. Time to stop, I won' tell you more about the story.

I'm not going to discover the two main actors in the crew. Javier Cámara and Ricardo Darín are normally brilliant and Truman is not different. They By the way, Truman is Julian's dog and his acting is great too. They are omnipresent through the movie and its for the good. Totally opposed in their characters - Javier is sensible and self-contained, whereas Julian is the artists stereotype: impulsive and anarchic - the mix works great.

Although this is a sensitive topic, the movie does not seek an easy tear from the spectator. Actually, it tackles some aspects of this approach to death very humorously.

For people familiar with Madrid, the movie is mostly shot in Las Salesas neighborhood, a very centric area in the city.

I went to the movies without expectation and in the end, that movie moved me like no other before. I don't know why, can't explain. A must see movie.