Los del túnel

"Los del Túnel" (Those from the Tunnel) is about a group composed by thirteen people , trapped in a tunnel that it collapsed spending 15 days inside it with their day-by-day outside it . United in the sad tragedy and remembering Norberto , the only one person who died , the group decides reunite themselves , sharing their experience and his daily troubles . In the group are the following ones : Toni (Arturo Valls) , an egoistic , unsettling and lost family father usually hearing ¨Pecos¨band music in the car , with a daughter who doesn't understand and a spouse , Sole (Nuria Mencia) , who runs a photocopier shop with no much success ; Julio (Raul Cimas) , a police officer who saved to Miriam (Natalia De Molina) and falls in love with her , another member of the group ; the failed marriage : Víctor (Manel Barceló) and Lupe (Neus Asensi) , parents of adolescent girl Hiedra who attempts to reconcile their broken family ; Rafi, a teen thug who falls in love for Hiedra ; Adela, who cares of her aged parents , Camila (Teresa Gimpera) and Segundo (Jesús Guzmán) , and lost her husband Norberto ; Walter, a Colombian immigrant without money who tries to move his family to Spain ; José Manuel (Manolo Solo) and Esteban (Enrique Martinez) , a gay couple attempting out of the closet ; López (Pedro Pol) , another cop and Julio's colleague , who remains in coma in a hospital and he subsequently awakes up but remembering nothing . All of them are searching for enjoy the second chance to rebuild their existences , but life outside the tunnel gets awry , that's why it isn't as they would expect . They say they are fine (Dicen que están bien).

This dramedy : drama more comedy , deals with a motley group who are free after to stand fifteen days locked , they are the thirteen survivors of a catastrophe by a tunnel's collapse that attempt to balance their experience after being trapped , subsequently they reunite to dinner every Friday , but things go wrong . A black comedy with a little bit of drama here and in which a misfit group joins to solve troubles in order to get better them , but they soon crash against a reality harder than they thought . Concerning a group of peculiar roles who in their most are full of problems , as all of them are searching for a better future , new hopes and an enjoyable sense to their broken lives . Agreeable film full of sympathy , outlandish characters , haunting mood-pieces , fun scenes , strange humor and sense of style but not totally satisfactory , including conventional pitfalls . The picture deals with drama , off-the-wall comedy , familiar absurdities and anything else . Black humor gives way to strange as well as hilarious situations , closely followed by embarrassing events that doesn't take long in coming to a head in an ending pandemonium . It is so excessive and outrageous that blends mayhem , as well as a funny script by filmmaker himself . And being a choral film in Luis Garcia Berlanga style with plenty of dark humor , entertainment , and exciting situations . This is not the typical comedy by this time , here there is a brief character studio about some eccentric roles . Highlights of the movie are some amusing recreation of the protagonists when the tunnel collapses and the happenings they allegedly experience when trying to find a way out . Some scenes drag a little , but there's a certain warmth and mirth flowing throughout the story that's why it actually works , at times . The cast is pretty good , as the main role Toni well played by Arturo Valls as a disturbing narcissist and self-worshiping family man who finds himself lost in his unconventional family and his wife finely performed by Nuria Mencía as a strange woman stuck by her teen dreams . As well as Manolo Solo and Enrique Martinez play nicely a homosexual couple who attempt to announce their relation to their families . And brief appearances by other notorious secondaries as María Alfonso Rosso , Marta Fernandez Muro and the very veteran actors Teresa Gimpera and Jesús Gúzman playing a likeable old marriage .

The moton picture was professionally Juán Maidagan and directed by Pepón Montero, though it has some flaws and gaps , resulting to be a little bit boring . It was Nominee Feroz Awards, ES 2018 , Special Award to Pepón Montero . The craftsman Pepón Montero is a writer and producer, known for Pluton BRB Nero (2008) , Chiringuito de Pepe (2014) , Los del túnel (2016), Justo antes de Cristo (2019) and Plaza de España (2011). Rating : 5.5/10.

I don't quite understand the low ratings. This film has a particular feel to it, ranging from (dark) comedy to absurdity. Once you get used to it, you find an original story and curious depelovement. How we perceive things is at the core of the plot; I found that interesting.

It will not change the history of cinema, but it dares to do something a little bit different and it deserves way more than 4/10.

Recommend it; maybe more suitable for Spanish audiences due to cultural references etc.