Truman - Film Review Spanish Film Festival 2016

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Wed 13 Apr 2016 - Sun 01 May 2016

Truman - Film Review (Spanish Film Festival 2016)



Showing as part of the Spanish film festival 2016, Truman tells the humorous yet melancholy story of two old friends, as they re-unite over four days to say their final goodbye. Directed by Cesc Gay, the film was a huge hit at this year's Goya awards, winning five out of the six categories it was nominated for.

Julian (played by Ricardo Darin) is terminally ill and grappling with the reality of his own death. Tomas (played by Javier Camara), an old friend who now lives in Canada, has flown over to Madrid to see Julian for a visit that both men know will be the last. Paula, Julian's cousin, also pops in and out of the story, providing her own perspective on the difficult situation.



Despite the heavy moments, the film manages to stay mostly comical and wistful, largely due to Julian's attitude and antics in regards to his own death. Whether its jumping on a plane last-minute to Amsterdam to visit his son, or apologising for sleeping with a friend's ex-wife, Julian faces his death with a joking and pragmatic attitude, if only as a cover up for dealing with harder emotions.

Even though the plot revolves primarily around the emotional interactions between the two main characters as they prepare themselves for the worst, Julian's faithful boxer dog, Truman, has a unique screen presence of his own.



Julian spends a large part of his time trying to find a suitable owner who will look after Truman once he's gone, seemingly more concerned about what will happen to his dog more than anything else. Letting go of Truman becomes one of the most important obstacles towards Julian being able to make peace with his own fate.

The film avoids being over-sentimental, and isn't the kind of tearjerker you might expect from a story about a dying man, his dog and his best friend. The film takes a more subtle approach to showing the awkwardness and fears of men dealing with their own mortality, as well as the importance of true friendships when you finally reach the end.



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!date 13/04/2016 -- 01/05/2016
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