Depressa, Depressa

Intelligent and thrilling film based on facts about juvenile delinquency in Spain since the 80s . Well directed by Carlos Saura who tried to create a sort of Spanish Neo-Realism by tackling the juvenile delinquency in the Madrid's poor quarters from a sociological point of view. In his second stage dealing with delinquents , the first was ¨Los Golfos¨, he tried to take a position in observation of outcast people, and he got to make a documentary-style cinema. It deals with a group of inseparable friends delinquents named Pablo (Valdelomar) , Meca , El Sebas forced into street hustling and ever-expanding life of crime . The three of them carry out car-thief and scheme bank-robbery to earn money in and around Madrid slums . So, they'll have to gather some money and in order to do anything that's necessary to escape the poverty and also as part of the street life they have drugs . The young street-criminals in Madrid embark on a series of armed robberies to raise the money that they use to rise their existence . Meanwhile, Pablo falls in love for a bar girl named Angela (Socuellamos) and gather together with their friends . The protagonists choose to live dangerously and they are forced to live a life of crime to survive and flee the suburbs of Madrid.

¨Deprisa , Deprisa¨ is one of several movies dealing with youth delinquency in Spain during the 70s and early 80s along with ¨Perros Callejeros I and II¨, ¨Navajeros , "Colegas" ,"El Pico", "El Pico 2" and later ¨La Estanquera De Vallecas ¨ , among others . These films were notorious in the years of the Spanish transition to democracy including provoking and polemic issues and played by unknown young people . His style is pretty much urban and realistic as well in the atmosphere as in the fresh dialog and attempted to take a position in favor of outcast people . Drugs , delinquency, and generational problems are the habitual subjects in these films and specially dedicated to the underworld of heroin . Passing of time hasn't had mercy with most of those movies , but they represented a time and a way of life in the history of Spain ; and now they may seem a little bit naive . In ¨ Deprisa , Deprisa¨ or ¨Fast , faster¨ we watch the day-by-day of a group of delinquents committing violent crimes , however Saura got to make a both lyric and documentary-style flick . A great look at young life and friendship in the margined side let the story flow efficiently and being realized in realistic style . We see their troubles growing in such a low-class "barrio" called Vallecas from Madrid outskirts and some fine locations . The director creates a sort of Spanish Neo-Realism by tackling the juvenile delinquency in the Madrid's poor quarters from a sociological point of view . Carlos Saura shows the ugliness of those "barrios" , toughness and cold existence . The screenplay is such strong with disagreeable events , including a love story and violent scenes , though also with some ingenuousness , but in 1980, a few years after General Franco died it wasn't naive at all. Saura chose young and natural actors as Valdelomar and Socuellamos who play their part to the hilt , unafraid of filmmaker's unsympathetic camera and the particularity of the characters. Passable photography with juicy atmosphere by Teo Escamilla , deemed one of the best Spanish cameraman , but unfortunately turns too much murky in some video print , being necessary a a correct remastering . Musical score includes a lot of flamenco songs by that time with the successful Los Chichos.

The motion picture is well directed by Carlos Saura , a good Spanish movies director. He began working in cinema in 1959 when he filmed ¨Los Golfos ¨(1962) also dealing with juvenile delinquency . Saura is a well recognized filmmaker both nationally and internationally, and in proof of it he won many prizes among which there are the following ones: Silver Bear in the Berlin Festival for ¨ La Caza or The Chase¨ (1966) his most successful film , and for Peppermint Frappé (1967), in 1967. Special Jury Awards in Cannes for La Prima Angélica (1974), in 1973, and for Cría Cuervos (1976), in 1975. Also, the film Mamá Cumple Cien Años (1979) got an Oscar nomination in 1979 as the best foreign film, and it also won the Special Jury Award at the San Sebastian Festival. In 1990, he won two Goya , The Spanish Oscar , as best adapted screenplay writer and best director. Saura became an expert on Iberian musical adaptations as ¨Carmen , Amor Brujo , Bodas De Sangre , Sevillanas ,Iberia , Salome, Fado, Flamenco ¨ and even recently Opera as ¨Io , Don Giovanni¨

Robbers Pablo and Meca steal a car. Pablo is taken with waitress Ángela and pulls her into his life of crime. Along with Sebastian who dislikes having a girl in the crew, the quartet go on a crime spree.

The scene where Ángela is waiting for the getaway during the robbery is incredibly tense. I really want more of that. Mostly, they exist in a leisurely lifestyle until they plan another robbery. The action is not the most intense but it does have a good energy. This has a matter-of-fact feeling towards its characters and their lives. It's not that glorified but they are young and beautiful. It's an Euro feel with a softer Tarantino action.

This movie makes beautiful use of Flamenco music, and does it better than any I've seen. Carlos Saura obviously cares deeply about the medium, as he also made a movie called Flamenco (although it's just a concert piece).

The story is very basic; it deals with the adventures of young street-criminals in Madrid who graduate from car-theft to bank-robbery. What's interesting is the way Saura makes us care about these "hijos de nadie", who are kind and decent people 50% of the time, and feel they have no future in regular society. But the movie never sentimentalizes them - they do exactly what you'd expect such people to do.

Dialogue is kept to a minimum; a lot of the communication is via the graceful gestures the Spanish are so good at. This allows extra time for the soundtrack, and it really gets you into the spirit of the film, which is really more like dance than acting.

Flamenco originated among the dispossessed, among beggars and gypsies condemned to live in waste places and junkyards on the edge of town, and the scenes of the barren housing-projects on the fringes of Madrid really bring this feeling to life.

Deprisa, Deprisa conveys a better understanding of the spirit of Flamenco than more elegant movies dedicated to the subject. (And Carlos Saura is a genius).

This film made such a deep impression upon me that I was sure to view it a second time before it disappeared from tcm "on demand" for an indefinite period of time. Who knows for how long? I may even watch it a third time before its one week run expires at midnight tonight.

In some ways, this film reminds me of notable American films depicting crime sprees, such as "Badlands" or "Gun Crazy", but it is uniquely Spanish in nature and truly stands on its own as a distinctive work of art. Carlos Saura, a director with whom I was totally unfamiliar before a recent tcm double feature of two of his films, is to be commended for an outstanding film that captures a very special atmosphere and tone.

I travelled in Spain, including Madrid, for a month at the end of 1971 when Francisco Franco still ruled the country with a strong arm, including an intricate network of secret police that was not unlike totalitarian regimes everywhere else throughout history. It is very significant that this film was produced after the death of Franco because the Spain that is depicted in this movie seems like a very different country than the Spain that I visited in 1971. While the police in the film are tough enough, they were most likely a much more formidable force during Franco's iron rule.

The use by Saura of the speeding trains outside the balcony of the flat used by the gang as its headquarters is brilliant as they symbolize a society that doesn't even pause for a moment to consider the existence of this totally alienated group until it draws attention to itself by breaking the law, sometimes in extremely violent ways. I could have been riding on one of those trains as a foreign tourist, totally unaware of the existence of this element as it was kicked to the curb of Spanish civilization. Note the shocked, disgusted reaction of the two older, established women when they are suddenly confronted by the disrespect displayed by the delinquent group at the holy site.

The strong flamenco influence of the gypsy rumba music played in the background throughout the film also creates a uniquely delicious Spanish flavor to the film. The musical score powerfully contributes to the overall impact, which is no less than magical and hypnotic for me. The use of amateur actors is another stroke of genius by the director as it makes the action all the more real and believable, not unlike the post World War II Italian films of Vittorio De Sica which I also love.

Did anyone expect the "respectable" doctor to return, as he had promised, after he took Angela's money? And what was to become of Angela after she walked into the darkness at the end? I very much wanted to know. From the very start, the genius of Carlos Saura sustained my interest and involvement to the bitter end. This is a great and much under-rated movie!

A good look at the delinquency in Spain of the 80's, good photography, great soundtrack.

Pablo, Angela, El Meca and Sebas, four marginalized teenagers from Madrid are forced to live a life of crime in order to survive and escape the poverty they live in. The movie is quite entertaining, the crime scenes are very realistic, the soundtrack fits just perfect and the message is clear and powerful.

Crime is created by poverty and poverty is created by luxury, something we are all responsible of.

A great political statement, then and now.