In 1969 Spain,
eight-year-old Valentin (Rodrigo Noya) lives with his grandmother
while rarely seeing his jerk father and never seeing his mother. His
imagination carries him through meeting his father's latest
girlfriend, becoming friends with neighbor Rufo, and other
life-changing events. Will the boy get the family he wants?
CRITIQUE
If you don't like
reading subtitles you may miss out on some outstanding films the way
they were meant to be seen (dubbing is lame!). Aside from the classic
foreign films, other films that are released each year prove
entertaining foreign entries. One such film is Valentin,
directed by Alejandro Agresti. This film is a heart-warming, efficient
tale focusing on a child's search for family.
Agresti also wrote
the screenplay and has striven to mix comedy with more poignant
moments, and because of that the film feels real. There are some
moments that are so cute, some might find them cloying but I didn’t.
The comedy here is frequently the physical type that provokes laughs,
but some of the dialogue will, too. The script establishes Valentin’s
imagination well, especially through the kid-appropriate voice-over
that continues throughout the film.
The scenes that are
purely dramatic—Valentin’s angry father yelling at him, Valentin
meeting a man who knows his mother and asking him to tell her he’ll go
anywhere with her, are well placed and staged so they don’t seem
incongruous. They also balance out any saccharine you might feel from
the rest.
As a director,
Agresti competently mixes camera angles and uses a little movement
with some exceptional locations and the cinematography he oversees is
quite good. He also uses transitional fade outs well and other
production values like the music and costuming establish the setting
well.
The acting here as
a whole fits the tone of the film. I like Maura as the grandmother and
Mex Urtizberea as Rufo, but best of all is Noya. This kid has a
subtlety that most child actors don’t and he is just too adorable. He
carries the moments of the film so well, it’s a remarkable feat.
THE VIDEO
As usual,
widescreen for 16 by 9 televisions is the format presented here,
complementing the film’s theatrical print. Picture quality looks fine.
THE AUDIO
The ubiquitous
Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound presentation works fine here. The
original Spanish language track is matched well with the English
subtitles.
THE EXTRAS
Theatrical Trailers:
The Valentin trailer is a fine one, though it uses the typical
technique of never including dialogue used for foreign films. The
other trailers are basically promotions for other Miramax titles.
Interview with
Director:
This featurette is interestingly shot and longer than usual DVD
features at twelve minutes, is a good watch. Agresti speaks of the
autobiographical aspects of the film, the casting of Valentin, the
choosing of the setting, his opinions on storytelling and the film’s
ending, and more. He speaks English well, so the feature is just
informative in the best way.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Valentin
is a sweet family-oriented foreign film that will appeal to more than
just the art house crowd. If you don’t hate subtitles, you’ll find
this film enjoyable. More extra features would have only added to the
experience, but overall this is a good disc.
