Live Is Life

A bit boring but the filming locations are epic A feel good movie that's great for the family.

No mobile phones just nature and decent music.

Brings me back to my childhood.

What a wonderful movie this is! It reminded me of Rob Reiner's quintessential coming-of-age story "Stand by me" (1986), but here it has its own, specifically Spanish approach.

Somewhere around the eighties five close teenage friends go on a hiking trip on their bikes, with a vague purpose to find a supposed magic flower on some mountain-top, that when picked on mid-summers day should cure all diseases. They cycle through the countryside, make fun, bicker, get into mischief, have furious encounters with a group of vengeful thugs, and at last they reach their goal, in the process acquiring some important new insights in each other and in themselves.

The direction of Dani de la Torre is excellent, there is plenty of room for reflection, but still the pace never sags, every member of the little group gets his own background and attention, and although there are some pretty serious issues at hand (one of the kids is being treated for cancer, another one's father lies in coma in a hospital), and there are some very moving scenes (the one in the hospital actually brought me to tears!), the story never strives for cheap effect or gets melodramatic. The end leaves us guessing if the magic flower has worked, and that fits the story fine, it's life, that for the kids stays totally open for anything (good or bad) to happen.

The eighties are flawlessly rendered, the summer atmosphere is almost tangible, the photography is absolutely stunning, with breathtaking views of the Galician landscape, and I was amazed and very impressed at how natural and easy these five young kids played their at times pretty difficult parts!

In short, a definite must-see and an absolute 10 out of 10!!

Modern "stand by me" like movie set in Spain with a great cast and a good story.

Sometimes modern movie lack good characters , they feel dry, without heart, easy to forget and with poor writing in general. Instead this movie is a little gem.

I really liked the setting, the protagonist relationship and it reminded me of great movies like the goonies and stand by me.

Highly recommended.

It is one of the best films I've watched in quite some time. The review by johannes2000-1 is spot on, far better than I could ever critique it. This is, without doubt, one of those extremely rare 10/10 films, I loved everything about it (the opening had me wondering, but it's the only weak part of the entire film). I was not prepared for the constant flow of intrigue, serenity, excitement, sorrow, joy, & humour that it flawlessly wove throughout the story. It's one of those that will stay with me for a very long time.

For any of you who watch foreign language films dubbed, stop! The acting by those dubbing is always terrible & ruins an often great film. If you know how to read, do it - you will hear the actors voices saying the words you read, & you can get a clear sense of their acting & portrayal of the character and the scene.

Good film. But. A completely optional film for the old generation missing the past as a child. What for? There is Boyhood by Richard Linklater and Baaria by Giuseppe Tornatore; There is "Amarcord" by Federico Fellini and "Giant Little Ones" by Keith Behrman. There are a lot of films about unforgettable childhood and adolescence. "Words on Bathroom Walls" by Thor Freudenthal. The scenes with the disease look simulated and fake. This is not "Restless" by Gus Van Sant. A good, kind, but not complete film about summer and adolescence. The score is between 6 or 7.