Obaba, le village du lézard vert

Obabakoak is a bunch of short stories with an only common point: the little Vasque town of Obaba. In this film, the director tries to explain some of these stories by using a young reporter as a continuum. The result is a strange film, as it has any main character (the movie spends about 20 min. to each tale) other than the town of Obaba. Any story is really well explained and the fact is that they result very boring. It was by far the best film of the year in Spain, but, well, that's not saying too much. The only good thing of the film is the precious scenarios. It is filmed in a very precious valley and it is more enjoyable to spend the time watching the scenario rather than being aware of the story.

Set in Obaba , where arrives a young filmmaker (Barbara Lennie) who efforts to capture the feel of the area , a mythical region in northern Spain, which in turn leads to a wealth of self-discovery . She is so interested in these local mysteries , as she interviews the aged inhabitants who recall their childhood , and youthful experiences happened long time ago and these experiences are shown as separate short films . All these tales exacerbate her ingenuity as well as imagination , and along the way she falls in love for a local young (Juan Diego Botto) . As she begins to investigate all the secrets of these mysterious people , of his family and their stories , but she finds dark trues .

Enjoyable and thought-provoking picture starred by two phenomenal actresses , Barbara Lennie and Pilar López de Ayala as a good-natured teacher . This slow-moving and intelligent picture is well set in Navarra , Spain , both nowadays and the 60s by means of flashbacks . Concerning a student who has come to tape the town for a school project , she is soon drawn to some of the stories of the residents, all of which are told in flashbacks. These stories help Lourdes to understand the little town , its people, and its secrets. Sensational film that dispenses a brooding plot and considered to be one of the best Spanish films of the2000s , in fact was voted one of the best pictures by professionals and critics . Sensitive film full of feeling , haunting mood-pieces , wonderful scenes , magic , fantasy and sense of wonder . Montxo Armendáriz, who wrote the screenplay and also shot , has put together a nice picture that mixes the past and the present. Colorful picture , including marvelous frames , being mostly filmed in various locations from Navarra , such as : Uztarroz, Isaba, Roncal, Ochagavia, Urrotz, Zizur Menor, Mutilva, Ekai de Lónguida, Liédana, and including evocative outdoor scenes , showing the incredible natural beauty of the landscapes . This extraordinary flick spells through intricate patterns of images , sets , sound and color . In addition , an excellent cast and support cast of known and prestigious players , such as Juan Diego Botto, Pilar López de Ayala , Eduard Fernández , Peter Lohmeyer, Héctor Colomé ,Txema Blasco, Mercedes Sampietro and Lluís Homar. . "Obaba" is one of Armendariz's undisputed masterpieces and fundamental in his filmography where shows efficiently an interesting story and shot at the height of his creativity , with some peculiar characters ,his style is pretty much dry in the atmosphere as in the fresh dialog , as well as realistic , and including pleasant elements . Splendid , luxurious photography with juicy atmosphere by Javier Aguirresarobe . Aguirresarobe subsequently would make a prestigious career in Hollywood such as ¨Fright night , ¨The twilight saga: eclipse¨, ¨The road¨ , ¨The others¨ and many others . Interesting screenplay by the same director based on a original novel by Bernardo Atxaga . Moving and emotive musical score by Xavier Capellas . This touching picture will appeal to Spanish films buffs ; being deservedly nominated for.

This motion picture rich in symbolism was perfectly produced by magnificent producers Karl Baumgartner, Michael Eckelt , Puy Oria and Montxo Armendáriz himself , being stunningly directed by Montxo Armendariz , a very good Spanish movies filmmaker . And won various Goya Awards 2006 such as : Winner Goya Best Sound Carlos Bonmatí Alfonso Pino , Goya Best Director Montxo Armendáriz , Best Production Manager Puy Oria , Best Production Design Julio Esteban , Julio Torrecilla , Best Adapted Screenplay Montxo Armendáriz , Best Supporting Actress Pilar López de Ayala and Premios ACE 2006 Winner Premio ACE Best Film , Cinema Best Actress Pilar López de Ayala and Terenci Moix International Award 2006 Winner Terenci Moix Award Best Film Montxo Armendáriz . Montxo is a well recognized director both nationally and internationally, and in proof of it he won many prizes in several Festivals . Montxo Armendáriz was born in Navarra, and his films are mostly set in this Spanish region . He is a nice writer and director, expert on dramas , being especially known for Tasio (1984) , 27 hours (1986) , Cartas a Alou (1990) , Secretos del Corazón (1997), Silencio roto or Broken silence (2001) , this Obaba (2005), and his last film : No Tengas Miedo (2011) . Rating : 7/10 . Worthwhile watching . The flick will appeal to Spanish cinema enthusiasts.

I saw this film at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival.

Obaba is loosely based on Bernardo Axtaga's collection of short stories "Obabakoak", which won Spain's National Prize for Literature. Set in a fictional Basque town, Obaba follows Lourdes (Bárbara Lennie), a film student who has come to tape the town for a school project. She is soon drawn to some of the stories of the residents, all of which are told in flashbacks. These stories help Lourdes to understand the town, its people, and its secrets.

Montxo Armendáriz, who wrote the screenplay and also directed, has put together a fine film that blends the past and the present. Rather than use Lourdes simply as a device for prompting the villagers to tell their stories, she is an integral part of the movie. Lourdes is intrigued by the tales and the town's superstitions, and she soon begins to wonder if she has been caught up in and affected by it all. However, the film takes only a few of the stories from Axtaga's collection, and any political overtones don't seem to be present. The movie takes a more realistic tone and lacks any fantastical elements other than the mysterious blue-green lizards that seem to be indigenous to the area.

Although this starts out promisingly, a woman in a car is weaving around dark roads in the middle of the night in the middle of the forest until she almost hits a man holding a lizard! This gave me the impression that we were going to see something special, something almost David Lynchian (if there is such a term), but unfortunately, the film starts to go everyplace, not having a core center, just sort of meandering story about a woman trying to solve a mystery of a small town. The character study goes all over the place, and I couldn't really care for any of the characters it seems, especially when some of the story all of a sudden goes into flashback mode. I had some hopes for this movie, but all in all, it was a bit of a letdown.

Wow, I'm kind of shocked to read so many negative reviews of this movie. Maybe you had to see it in Spain as I did or maybe you have to enjoy movies that make you think. This is not your generic Hollywood-I-understand-everything-within-ten-minutes type of movie. This is a movie that one has to think about and contemplate after it is done and it might take several days to come across what you think the movie was actually trying to say. That, in my opinion, is a sign of a good movie. Obaba is not an actual place, it is a state of mind. Once people understand that, they can see the movie for what it is: an intelligent, beautiful, and mysterious view of northern Spain.