Very Special (MINOR SPOILERS - no plot details but themes discussed)

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2008)

Rarely do I write reviews on IMDb but as the end credits music plays in the background I feel compelled to write one on this film.
Without any restraint I can say that this is one of the best films I have seen, I am very tempted to say the best. I'm struggling to bring my thoughts together at the moment, the last two hours have seemed to be much longer and I feel emotionally exhausted. The only word I can use at this moment is beautiful. This film shows artistic film making at its best and does so in a way that makes it very engaging and easy to follow, unlike other similarly philosophical and artistic films.
The film is essentially an extremely powerful representation of the Spanish Civil War - my knowledge on this subject is very limited, in fact all I know of the brutality of the war is from Hemmingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' and I do believe that had I not read this novel I would have appreciated this film (slightly) less. The central theme appears to be the unnecessary blood-shed and slaughter of innocence/innocents in many different senses.
This is a two hour emotional roller-coaster with excellent character development and milestones in the plot that arise and stop you as though you've walked into a wall - all of this leads to a devastatingly effective and provocative climax.
I'd love to write a more comprehensive and definitive review on this but frankly it would have to be a lengthy essay. All I can say is if you haven't watched it and you want to see what could and should be remembered as one of the greatest films of our time, maybe of all time, watch this. If you want to watch a captivating and not-too-taxing film, watch this. If you want to be moved and provoked, watch this.