It Snows in Benidorm - Film Review
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If you're lucky enough to live in one of the locations listed at the end of this article, why not treat yourself to a trip to the cinema to see
It Snows in Benidorm? This intriguing mystery will keep you hypothesising and wondering from beginning to end. The mystery isn't the only thing to love about this movie. It's also exceptionally well crafted.
It's the tale of Peter Riordan (Timothy Spall) a quiet and unassuming fellow whose main hobby is studying the weather. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is forced into early retirement from his bank job. He's a man of habit and routine, so the change leaves him feeling lost and alone.
Peter decides to leave London and visit his brother Daniel who lives in Benidorm. They both lead busy lives and haven't seen each other in person in over a decade. When he arrives in Benidorm, his brother is nowhere to be found.
Peter begins to investigate Daniel's disappearance and along the way he meets many strange, quirky, and beguiling characters. He forms a bond with Alex (Sarita Choudhury), a business partner of his brother's, who also occasionally performs as a burlesque dancer. He's quickly enamoured with her, and she assists him in his investigations.
Written and directed by Isabel Coixet (
The Secret Life of Words (2005),
My Life Without Me (2003),
The Bookshop (2017)) the movie really captures how it feels to be lonely in a crowded space. She's done a great job interpreting the surreal feeling of being an introvert amid exuberant extroverts.
You won't find copybook Hollywood predictable romance in this movie. A million respect points too for casting an age-appropriate love interest for the protagonist. In the hands of another director, we probably would have cringed through 65-year-old Spall making out with a 25-year-old. Instead, Coixet gives us a strong, capable, sexy, smart, and independent mature woman in the form of Choudhury. Hers and all the characters are really well written. It's so refreshing to see these fully realised, three-dimensional people on screen.
Beneath the entertaining surface of the film, you'll find plenty of food for thought. The heartlessness of the capitalist system, the ways in which the system itself creates desperation and crime, loneliness, isolation, how hard it can be to trust other people, the difficulties introverts face in a world where extroverts rule, corruption, and climate change are all on the menu. There's also Brexit, racism, and female empowerment to consider long after the credits have rolled.
A word of warning to those who like nonstop action in their films; I
t Snows in Benidorm is far more thoughtfully paced than the average blockbuster. In those quieter moments, there's some stunning cinematography to drink in, clues to contemplate, and Timothy Spall says so much with his expressions, he doesn't need rafts of dialogue or crazy action sequences to entertain. Also, this isn't a family film, so if you have kids, save it for date night when you have a sitter.
When you see a lot of film, it's so nice to be surprised by a narrative and characters you can't predict.
It Snows in Benidorm certainly keeps you guessing. Well written, superbly acted, beautifully shot and edited – it's well worth the trip to see this film while you can.
It Snows in Benidorm is playing in the following cinemas from March 17, 2022…
QLD
Graceville
NSW
Collaroy
Opera Quays
Palace Central
VICTORIA
Cameo Belgrave
Classic Elsternwick
Palace Balwyn
Lido Hawthorn
SA
Nova Eastend
WA
Luna Perth
Luna SX Street
Windsor
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83584 - 2023-06-11 06:43:24