Malas Temporadas

Malas Temporadas (Bad Times) from Spain is indeed well named. Three different lives are intertwined through circumstance, as well as from how miserable they are. I kept wondering who had it worse - as though it were a sick contest of sorts. I guess I had to do something to keep my spirits up. Their hard times don't so much come from bad occurrences, as from each character's inability to deal with the problems of their past.

The one story thread which had the most potential was that of the prisoner, newly released into the world, who begins tutoring chess for the 14 year old boy who has recently refused to leave his room. They are both prisoners in a way, but the boy has the choice to leave, where the chess tutor is still living in his cell, despite having been released.

The cinematography is appropriate for the film: bleak, desaturated colors, making everything feel like a gloomy overcast afternoon. The film ends with a hint of hope, but I felt too little and an hour too late for me to really care anymore.

Why do we watch movies? I was wondering just after the show. Many reasons: inspiration, escape, to learn, to have fun, even just an excuse for a date; but to watch the misery of others, and simply leave it at that, seems to not be a reason for watching a film. I could see what the filmmakers were trying for, but the film ends up just being depressing, flat, and gloomy.