Éxtasis

"Rober" (Javier Bardem), "Ona" (Leire Berrocal) and "Max" (Daniel Guzmán) are restless and need a change. How to fund their ambitions? Well that's when they start robbing their family businesses until an incident sees the latter man with an hole in his foot and doing some prison time. It's there that they hit on the idea of fleeing his estranged father. "Daniel" (Federico Luppi) is a successful theatre director and hasn't seen his son since the boy was nine. "Rober" is to pinch his friend's identity and see if he can't dupe the man. What becomes clear is that the older man is all too willing to set aside any scepticism and embrace his new "son" and that is rather where the wheels came off for me. The jovial elements of the drama dried up and the thing became a rather meanderingly cynical story that didn't really seem to root very much in reality. When his son starts sleeping with his girlfriend "Lola" (Silvia Munt) I began to lose interest as it sort of stumbled along to a contrived denouement that didn't really make too much sense. Was "Daniel" just a lonely man looking for the joys of a son, or was he really the most stupid of men? It has it's moments - all in the first fifteen minutes, and perhaps there's a moral about leopards and spots, but it's all just a bit too far-fetched and disappointing. Pity.

Dramatic and tense film about a motley and impoverished trio whose things are not going very well and need urgently to get out of their black hole and and they then are planning to steal to their relatives to get money. Three friends, two young men and a young woman, are tired by the normal world of their parents and want to escape in order to begin living somewhere else. Thus, Robert (Javier Bardem), Max (Daniel Guzmán) and Ona (Leyre Berrocal) make a pervert plan: steal their own families. After that they flee without any destination and without having really schemed where to go to. Rober, a 25-year-old young man, is an ambitious rebel and enemy of the official world, as he's anxious, almost desperate, and he doesn't know why. In Madrid the victim is Daniel (Federico Luppi) , father of Max, a prestigious stage director who lives a stormy relationship with Lola (Silvia Munt), an eccentric and riveting actress. Daniel is a resounding achiever, self-confident, an artist obsessed by the unknown, the impenetrable. So Rober impersonates his friend Max's personality to pose as Daniel's strange son.

This interesting picture results to be an intense drama stars Javier Bardem as a rebellious young who shares his life with Ona and Max, to achieve their dreams, the three develop a twisted plan: rob their respective families and escape aimlessly. It is a drama about deeply troubled roles, being developed in ups and downs, but the film actually focuses on the encounter and later head-on collision between Robert and Daniel, it is a clash between two forces of nature. A necessary clash for both because each one is the mirror of the other. The clash between someone who wants everything because he is empty (Rober) and someone who is empty and has everything (Daniel). But then things go wrong when Daniel and Lola invite Rober to share a life of glamour and success, as the game turns out to be very dangerous, removing the jealousy of his two friends who consider that Robert has broken his promises and commitments to them, resulting in fateful consequences.

This thriller contains intrigue , intense drama, a little bit of action and violence. Casting is frankly excellent , it is formed by an all-star-Spanish-cast as Javier Bardem, Daniel Guzmán, Leyre Berrocal, and special mention for veterans Federico Luppi and Silvia Munt. The picture is compellingly paced, but improbable events and surprising situations happen with no much sense, though it has some good moments here and there. It contains atmospheric and thrilling musical score by Bingen Mendizabal. As well as colorful and adequate cinematography by Flavio Martínez Labiano. The motion picture was well directed by Mariano Barroso. He has directed various films with similar players and with moderated success, such as: ¨Mi hermano del alma (My soul brother)¨ at his best, ¨Extasis¨ with Javier Bardem, ¨Kasbah¨ with Ernest Alterio and Jose Sancho , ¨Hormigas en la boca (Ants in the mouth)¨ with Eduard Fernandez y ¨Lobos de Washington¨ with Ernesto Alterio, Eduardo Fernandez and again Javier Bardem. Rating : 6,5. Acceptable and passable thriller with great interpretations. The movie will appeal to Javier Bardem fans. It's an entertaining film with some enjoyable moments, and for Bardem enthusiasts.

Mariano Barroso had two important assets in his third film: Javier Bardem, that was a little bit unexperienced but full of strength and nerve; and Federico Luppi, one of the best actors alive (in my opinion). But as well as those two great actors he had a powerful story with some nice ingredients for making a good drama: the abandoned son, the selfish father that wouldn't look after anyone but himself, his ego and his passion: theater. Friendship and jealousy, and a certain air of Greek tragedy.

The script could be better, as well as some of the secondary characters, but the results are optimum in general. Anyway, as I said before, the presence of Federico Luppi is in itself the best reason for watching "Éxtasis".

*My rate: 7/10

Mariano Barroso, the director of this film doesn't break any new ground with it. Perhaps because the screen play he wrote with Joaquin Oristell doesn't hold any surprises for the viewer. No doubt there might have been good ideas as a project, but as it plays on the screen, it loses its viewers early on.

Naturally, the only interest in watching this Spanish feature were Javier Bardem and Federico Luppi, two of the most interesting actors working in the cinema these days. But alas, nothing makes much sense, or really grabs the viewer's attention. The mercurial theater director, Daniel, played by Mr. Luppi fares much better than Bardem, whose appearance will not add anything to his fine work in better films than this.

Watch it at your own risk.

Javier Bardem shows an incredible range as the leader of a group of petty thieves,he is sexually exciting and aggressive...almost intoxicating in his presence,you believe he could seduce anyone into anything.He poses as the long lost son of Federico Lupi,the great Argentinan actor, and an incredible development in the story takes place as Javier begins to like his new life and the real son becomes a threatening menace.There are moments where you feel Lupi is having his doubts about Javier's identity yet continues to play along...this is the son he always wished he had...leading up to the very tragic climax.Incredible use of camera work to pull the story along as well as a clever use of the play,Life Is a Dream.It seems that Spain is consistently turning out Top Notch Directors...Theirs must be the best school in the world.