By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: Paul Meins
Starring: Antonio de la Torre | Carmen Maura | Edward James Olmos | Francesc Orella | Jessica Marais | Paz Vega | Quim Gutiérrez
Country: australia, united_kingdom
Year: 2021
Running time: 86
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3552186/reference
Michael says: “Family saga about a multi-generational Spanish family with a successful wine business who move their family business to Australia. The film is told in flashback, when a young man returns home to Spain and discovers that the groundskeeper of his father’s former vineyard is still working the grounds for a new family and he discovers some motivations for his father’s cruel behavior when he was a pre-teen. Australian writer Judy Morris is known for lots of children’s TV, and a couple of big children’s movies, most notably HAPPY FEET, and BABE: PIG IN THE CITY, and there’s a youthful simplicity to the story that doesn’t serve the heavier material well. The only reason I chose to watch this film was of the inclusion of the great Spanish actress, Carmen Maura, from the early Almodovar films in the cast, and she certainly adds some fire to the performances as the family grandmother. Edward James Olmos adds some life to the proceedings as well as her husband. But the patriarch of the family, the main character’s distant, angry father is hard to take. It’s all a little too treacly and melodramatic for me. 2 cats“