Héctor

Nice coming-of-age drama with fine actors , adequate cinematography , sensitive score and professional direction . A heartbreaking film about teenager Hector (Nilo Mur) faces a major lifestyle change after moving into his aunt's (Adriana Ozores) flat in a blue-collar suburb of Madrid . Hisaunt called Tere struggling to deal with her nephew , a silent and free-spirited adolescent . Tere married to Juan (Joaquin Climent) believes she can fix his nephew with his own style of life. This new home does not equal an attitude change , and when Hector is seriously affected after being involved in a grave happenings , both teenager and aunt will learn to face their fears and limitations.

¨Hector¨ is possibly one of the most beautiful and moving Spanish films of the 2000s . This interesting as well as intimate story is a passionate retelling and a touching melodrama . It is a touching flick that contains emotion , family drama , nostalgic feeling , a love story and many other things . The film moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable , with some moments of enjoyment and others quite provoking and thoughtful .The tale relies heavily on the continued relationship among family members , but it doesn't make boring but entertaining . Adriana Ozores gives a marvellously subtle performance as a profoundly decent human being who just wants to make everyone happy and suffers the consequences . Damián Alcázar gives possibly the most complex performance as the Mexican strange father who returns Spain to meet his son. They are supported by a magnificent secondary cast such as Joaquín Climent as Juan , Unax Ugalde as Gorilo , Núria Gago as Fany , Pepo Oliva as priest Tomás , José Luis García Pérez as Angel and brief acting by Elia Galera as Sofia . Perceptible and rousing musical score by Angel Illaramendi . Angel is considered to be one of the best Spanish composers with a lot of hits such as Luna Avellaneda , Borgia , Hija De La Novia , Lluvia en Zapatos , among others . Colorful cinematography in juicy atmosphere by Angel Iguacel .

The motion picture was compellingly directed by Gracia Querejeta , realized in her particular style, being filmed in her usual formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the brooding themes , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . Querejeta is particularly known by making films about the underprivileged and dealing with thought-provoking issues . Gracia Querejeta was born (1963) in Madrid , where she uses to shoot his pictures . Daughter of costume designer Maiki Marín and prestigious producer , recently deceased , Elías Querejeta . Gracia is a notorious director and writer, known for Siete Mesas Billar Francés 2007 , Cuando Vuelvas a Mi Lado 1999 , El Ultimo Viaje Robert Rylands 1996 , Una Estación de Paso 1992 , being her most successful movie : 15 Años Y 1 Dia , that achieved Goya Awards . And of course , this ¨Hector¨ . Rating : 7 . Better than average . Well worth watching .

Gracia Querejeta is a great storyteller. The story in the movie is pretty simple but you get to feel and understand what every character is going through. Everything sounds believable and natural. Adriana Ozores is great playing Tere, who is the link between all the stories. The rest of the cast does a good work as well.

I've seen this movie 3 or 4 times. I was raised in Madrid and this movie brings me the feeling of being there again. The neighbourhood, the people, the relationships, the lifestyle...everything is very "Madrid".

Looking forward the next Gracia Querejeta's project.

It was after having watched this poignant film at a film festival in France that I found out that its director Gracia Querejeta is the daughter of a leading film producer in Spain. This should be taken as a good sign for Spanish cinema because a talented film maker is always looking for funds. If a director's father happens to be a famous producer than it is a good indicator that good films will continue to be made."Hector" is a very pleasant experience in cinema. It is one of those rare contemporary European films which highlight the importance of family life. In this film the principal focus is on a young boy making earnest efforts to get close to his father.He is helped in this pursuit by his kind aunt as she is also feeling the loss of the boy's mother.One particular good thing about Hector is that its pace is amazing which will never let the viewers to feel bored.The original soundtrack is very trendy and will surely soothe many ears.Watch it with your loved one. You are likely to realize the importance of one another.

Tere is a woman that lives quietly her life in the whereabouts of Madrid with her family. The death of her sister provokes that Héctor, her nephew, starts to live with them. This will cause Tere to remind some wounds from the past and the adaptation to a new way of life, with one more son. Hector, meanwhile, is a 16-year-old boy that seems to hide pain within and seems to have suffered a lot. The apparition of Martin, Hector's disappeared dad will make things worse, as Hector will have to choose between living with his new family and going to Mexico with his unknown father. This will cause, of course, Tere's world to become upside down and she will have to remake her points of view of life. The drama is convincing, the story is well settled and the way of telling to us the story is correct. But there's something wrong about the film, though Adriana Ozores plays a good part, none of the staff is a rival of her. That's the main problem of the film, none of the actors believe in her character and this makes the film a little disappointing, as you'd expect more, from the story. I think that the movie could have been better with better actors, but, well, it is not bad, anyway. Touching film, hard and well told. With better actors, probably very good, but just correct. Anyway, one of best Spanish films of 2004.

Actually "Hector" is the story of three weeks in the life of Tere (great Adriana Ozores) and of those that surround her. She has just lost her sister, but they had been not speaking to each other for three years. Now Tere will have to look after her dead sister's only son, Héctor, and apart from that she'll have to face some troubles with her husband and her daughter, but specially sh'ell have to face a deep inner change.

This is a film with a huge emotional charge, it is so reflexive and relies on the strength of the words and of the dialogs. Is there any weak point? Yes, there is one weak point in "Hector": as in many Spanish productions the younger actors does not rise the occasions, and the guy that plays Héctor looks rather unconvincing.

In short: one of the best Spanish movies of the last year.

*My rate: 8/10