Aunque tú no lo sepas

This isn´t a usual love story, but we can easily identify with it. The story is simple, but the way the director portrays the characters and the surroundings (mid 70s Spain), and the excellent work of the young couple (Brondo and Gertrudix) gives it the feel that it has also happened to us, or dream at least that it can. A good movie, and an excellent love story.

Such was the romantic Madrid of the 70s in the so-called popular neighbourhoods, romances floated over the balconies; from such a simple and short story by Almudena Grandes, Juan Vicente Córdoba has constructed and recreated an amazingly attractive story.

Having been badly bitten by Bigas Luna's fantasies based on fetiche-laden novelas by Almudena Grandes - `Las Edades de Lulú' (1990) (qv) - and Gerardo Herrero's `Malena es un Nombre de Tango' (1996) (qv) - it might well have been a good idea to miss this one given the material from which the film originates. However, one should not condemn a priori and out of hand, whatever one's instincts may be for steering clear of anything to do with the aforementioned writer. Almudena Grandes is definitely not my cup of tea; however `Aunque tú no lo sepas' is very much Sr. Córdoba's story, loosely based on and recreated from `El Vocabulario de los Balcones' by Grandes.

Young love may well flutter across balconies, though twenty years later on in life, such passions do not tend to waft about over city streets as easily as erstwhile. From there, a beautifully constructed story develops, jumping back and forth over the twenty year interval, filling in different moments of the young Lucía and Juan as they recall the past.

Silvia Munt and Gary Piquer offer deep-felt performances; even their wordless dialogues express so much more than mere words, such that you almost see their innermost thoughts amid the silence or that beautiful little leit-motif. Poignant, masterfully captured for the screen. Ever since Colometa in `La Plaza del Diamante' (1981) based on the book in Catalonian by Mercè Roboredo, derived from a TV series of the same name and not included on IMDb, I have tried to keep contact with Silvia Munt, but have only had the luck to find her on a few occasions, most memorably in `Alas de Mariposa' (1991) and in that lovely little masterpiece `Secretos del Corazón' (1997) (qv) by Montxo Armendáriz.

`Aunque tú no lo sepas' did very well in bringing back memories of Spain in the mid seventies - all those 2cv and 850 cars, including a splendid Citroën DS21, and some very authentic Derbi motorcycles (I had one myself!), combined with `L'Estaca' sung by Joan Manuel Serrat, with contributions from José Luis Perailes, a very brief extract from Los Pekinikes, and footage from the second channel's TV news programme and the splendid series `El Hombre y La Tierra' (specifically `El Lobo') by Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente (qv), serve admirably as a backdrop in this film.

More than admirable is Ángel Illarramendi's musical contribution: a fragile melody in form of a leit-motif appears on a cello, but later is transformed into various instruments and even orchestrated. Carefully present at strategic moments this musical theme enhances visual concepts, lending harmonious colouring to the film's poignant moments. Superbly intelligent use of what is basically a simple melody but which goes through variations and different treatments.

This is excellent cinema for the discerning, very definitely a film which I must see again. Slightly above 8/10 on my scale - and that is a very high recommendation in itself.

The criticism here was not really anything to do with the movie.

Using a criticism of a film to attack Almudena Grandes is shallow, cowardly and cheap.

The movie itself is well produced, well directed and follows the narrative.

Why is it that people are so hung up about writers who write about sex?

Almudena Grandes is a woman, she supports the communist party and she wrote about sex.

Maybe the issue is elsewhere?

Maybe the issue is about peoples inability to handle sex in literature?

Maybe it's peoples inability to take it or leave it?

Maybe it's about peoples inner problems?

Maybe it has nothing to do with the movie or the writer at

all.

In contrast to other movies with artificial plots, this story is so well presented that it makes you feel incredibly close to the characters.

The sound track brings back curious memories to all of us who grew up in suburban neighborhoods of big Spanish cities but were too young during the seventies to remember now.

I can't make up my mind about who do the best part, if the young couple or Silvia Munt and Gary Piquer.

It is such a pity that this movie went by without much publicity. Recommend it to your friends.