Asfalto

15 minutes into ASFALTO, Calparsoro's latest directorial effort, I am still thinking that I am not going to like this. It has rained a lot since Godard said that all you needed to make a movie was a gun and a girl. Yesterday's boutade is today's common place. But something happens in the way and I find myself genuinely involved with the characters and deeply moved. And ultimately that is what filmmaking is about - I don't care about anything else, but move me, make me feel something, deliver an emotional experience. And ASFALTO definitively does, this is no ordinary Tarantinesque picture. In a year of mediocre Spanish movies it stands out. The script by Calparsoro and Santiago Tabernero underexplains certain subplots, but builds three very charismatic and believable characters and gives them great scenes to play. Najwa Nimri is OUTSTANDING as Lucia, the bad girl that wants to mend her ways, walking up and down the steamy streets of Madrid in the midst of summer wearing skimpy hotpants and high heels. Her Lucia is vulnerable, volatile and lovable. Gustavo Salmeron is once again great as Chino, the conventional guy forced to become a policeman, and Juan Diego Botto infuses the threesome with mystery. Beautifully shot by Josep Maria Civit, some of the action scenes are not terribly well executed, but it makes up for it with pure beauty in shots like Nimri and Botto asleep inside a discarded truck wheel looking at Madrid as the sun comes up, and many more. It has its flaws but the virtues of the film redeems it at the end. Beautiful, must see.

Living in Italy, speaking Spanish and having so few opportunities to see a Spanish film I decided almost immediately to see Asfalto.

Seeing the first scenes of the film you can deduct that is one of those "tarantinian" films talking about urban violence in a decadent Madrid. Three main characters: Lucia, Charly and the "Chino" are despaired guys. Each one of them is looking how to bribe and gain easy money without taking care of the rules of the society. Is interesting to see how all these three are linked in a love-violent triangle. Their language is as bad as the actions that they do. Chino's brother is a policeman working in the narcotic department and try to help him to gain a new life. He feels to have a certain responsibility since their father died.

The end is the beginning and life is a circle, no solution at all is presented and perhaps the triangle is broken.

This film should be seen for the very good acting of the 3 main characters, plus Lucia's mother (Almodovar's actress) but the rest is frankly useless.

Rating: 5/10

I saw this movie at the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival and it blew me away. The story was greatly told, photographed and performed. I was really moved by the story of this three lost souls in modern Madrid. Najwa Nimri steals the show as Lucia, but Juan Diego Botto and Gustavo Salmeron are great too. I truly didn't expect it to be this good. This is really Calparsoro's best movie since Salto al vacio and is even better than that one too. In time, it has become one of my favourites. It hasn't been commercially screened in Argentina, but it should. A must see. If you have the chance, don't miss it. You'll want to see it again. I did.

Yes, it has moments of violence, but that's more a reflection of the 3 main characters lack of impulse control. The violence is more of an expression of their emotions. It's really a story about the 3-some. Many have praised Najwa Nimri's performance as Lucia, but I think they're missing the point. The heart of the piece is Chino. Gustavo Salmerón really steals the show with his sense of desperation and betrayal. It's hard to see what Lucia's motivations were, other than making a quick buck. I would have given it a higher rating if they had made the coming together of the 3-some were more realistic. Lucia says, "Things just happen." I don't think there's an actress alive who could make that line work. The relationship between the brothers was crucial to making this film work, but the mother-daughter thing seemed more like a plot device. Juan Diego Botto does a good job, but he doesn't have much to do.

Moving thriller filled with intense drama , nail-biting action , car crash , a love story and swiftly paced . This exciting movie contains thrills , noisy action , intrigue , spectacular final crashing and a triangular love story . Stirring movie results to be a nice yarn well set in a sun-drenched big city , Madrid . In fact , filmmaker Daniel Calparsoro dedicated this movie , ¨Asfalto¨ , to ¨Madrid¨ . It deals with three young and desperate inhabitants of this metropolis , Lucía (Najwa Nimri), a beautiful woman of longs legs torn between two lovers : Charly (Juan Diego Botto) and Chino (Gustavo Salmerón) . This trio must scramble a lot of twisted relations , risks , dangers and violence . They are a bunch of cunning delinquents as well as drug dealers . At the beginning Lucia and Chino are an offbeat couple . After that , Lucia and Charly fall in love and there takes place the classical loving triangle . But Lucia loves the two young men , then it occurs a particular and outlandish threesome . Meantime , they carry out swindles , dope selling and dealing with an entire corrupt underclass (Rubén Ochandiano , Roger Ibáñez , Javier Nogueiras) . They try to rise above their circumstances by any means available to them . As while Lucia seduces her victim the Francés (Bigot) ; Chino and his colleague enter his house , and they come in to steal from him . Chino has an abusive older brother , Antonio , who attempts to apart him from them . But things go wrong and their hasty schemes become derailed when there appear Lucia's demanding mother (Antonia San Juan) and Chino's brother (Alfredo Villa) and the happenings lead to unexpected consequences .

This is a thrilling narration of friendship , comradeship , love , delinquency , and drug dealers with exceptionally fine camera work , attractive sequences and ending crashes on the metropolitan streets , in Madrid's Gran Via . The picture mingles action-packed , drama , exciting pursuits , suspense , a little bit of sexual images and spectacular sequences though won't mean much on little screen TV . This peculiar as well as tight-knit trio , Salmeron-Najwa-Diego Botto , are the real stars of this movie . Pulse-quickening thriller movie but plenty of clichés and lots of violence , including punches , slaps , heavy blows , kick-ass and bloody shooting . Other chief excitements about the picture , will be in the intervention of a good plethora of Spanish actors who realize professionally competent interpretations such as Alfredo Villa as his cop brother Antonio , Antonia San Juan as authoritarian matriarch and Rubén Ochandiano as a druggie .

Colorful and appropriate cinematography by Joseph M. Civit . Josep M Civit is one of the best Spanish cameramen , as he has demonstrated in "The Hidden Face" , ¨Shiver¨, ¨Warriors¨ , ¨The Absent" ,¨Anguish¨ and many others . Exciting as well as pulsating musical score by Nacho Mastretta and Najwajean-Najwa Nimri . This is another superbly powerful thriller movie being compellingly directed Daniel Calparsoro , the filmmaking is competent though the story eventually run out of gas . It was well realized by Calparsoro in similar vein to his subsequent films as ¨Invasor¨ , another splendid thriller mostly set in Irak war . His best film was ¨Warriors¨ or ¨Guerreros¨ , another warlike film brilliantly made by Daniel and dealing with ¨Kosovo¨ war . Daniel was raised in Donostia , for that reason most films are set in Basque country . Daniel uses to work with his spouses , as his first wife , Najawa Nimri composes his scores and played in ¨Salto a Vacio¨ , ¨Pasajes¨ , ¨Asfalto¨ , ¨A Ciegas¨ ; and his second one , Patricia Vico , performed in ¨La Ira¨ . Calparsoro is an expert on action and violent dramas , such as : 2013 ¨Combustion¨ starred by Alex Gonzalez and Alberto Amman , 2012 ¨Invasor¨ also starred by Albert Ammann , 2005 ¨Ausentes¨ , 2000 ¨Asfalto¨ , 1997 ¨A Ciegas¨ , 1996 ¨Pasajes¨ , 1995 ¨Salto a Vacío¨ . Furthermore , he has realized TV series and episodes such as ¨Inocentes¨, ¨Apaches¨ , ¨La Ira¨, ¨El Castigo¨. His last one (2016) results to be ¨100 Años De Perdón¨ with all-star-cast as Luis Tosar , Jose Coronado , Raul Arevalo and his wife Patricia Vico . This flick , ¨Asphalt¨ , will appeal to adrenaline lovers and those young people looking for strong emotions . This is the kind of film in which the thriller enthusiasts will enjoy immensely , it's a must see .