an amazing achievement

Rating: Null/10 (29 January 2007)

I finally got to see this film yesterday. I won't repeat what others have already said but I would like to add a few points I haven't seen expressed First, in the emotional impact of watching this film I didn't notice how well all of the components fit together. For me this was one of the greatest collaborations I have seen in film in achieving the overall vision The writing, the acting, the cinematography, the sound, the music, the set design, and the editing were all major achievements in their own rights It was overall a beautiful work of art although not easy to sit through at times The acting was unbelievable but not showy. Mr Lopes deserves a lot of credit for playing such an unrelenting villain with such unselfishness and skill. The actresses playing the mother and daughter were both wonderful But for me the most memorable was Maribel Verdu who played the housekeeper Her face and her communication with her face and not just her words were unbelievable. She looked like someone from that era who was experiencing a tragedy and whose expression was caught by a photojournalist. It was refreshing to see a film where I didn't know any of the actors in advance and I could focus on the characters It was like watching a quality production of Shakespeare. Unlike some American films this film was unrelenting in presenting its story It doesn't hint at perils to the characters and then pull back in the clutch, the events that could happen do happen, even though it may be painful to watch. And yet the final effect is one of hope, not despair. This is the kind of film that anyone who loves movies should go out of their way to see, it will have a permanent place in your movie memories.