Absolutely brilliant
A Brilliant Conflict
n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
View MoreThe movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.
View MoreI am Spanish, and to begin with, i would say that Julio Medem is my favorite Spanish director. I know Pedro Almodovar has had much more attention from the media out of Spain, but to be honest, i think Medem depicts more faithfully the Spanish feeling than Almodovar does."Vacas", "La ardilla roja", "Tierra", "Los amantes del Círculo Polar" and "Lucía y el sexo" are his best movies from my humble point of view.The movie is absolutely dream-like from beginning to end. The plot is rather creative, and could have been based on a true story except its surreal features which are also mixed with comedy situations. One of the most original love stories I've seen so far.Music is totally absorbing and helps to get into Medem's Visual imagery. 8/10
View MoreA deep love of "Vertigo" motivates director Julio Medem to jump into an almost empty swimming pool. Problem is 'V" was a second rate film to fall in love with to begin with. (Question: Did the producers have to pay royalties to the estate of Bernard Herrmann for the almost literal use of some of his music?) So what happens because of the second rated-ness of "V"is that "Red Squirrel" becomes a third rate movie before one's very eyes. Towards the end of it we learn in flashback that Lisa was seen in passing by Jay before the accident that supposedly brings two strangers together and that this brief sighting so smote him that he wrote what would become his favorite song. In the beginning Jay is about to off himself, for reasons ultimately that are never revealed, when he witnesses a motorcycle smashing off an elevated road and landing in the sand of a beach. But folks, the woman driving turns out to be Lisa (Elisa), who he had already met and fallen desperately in love with, after seeing her for less than sixty seconds. THE EXTREMELY LONG ARM OF COINCIDENCE ONCE AGAIN POISONS THE WELL. Sometime later in the movie we learn from Elisa/Sofia's brother that she was never hurt badly enough to suffer from amnesia. Even Hitchcock didn't mess up logic this much. Jay, because of his lying about E/S being his live-in girlfriend and subsequent behavior indicates that he should be in a mental hospital getting daily analysis and the appropriate medication. Perhaps too a red squirrel may have deep psychological meaning to the Spanish nation but to this North American, the repeatedly visual references to it had zero affect. By the way, a massively huge problem with Red Squirrel was that the subtitles were out of sync with the actors lips. Whoever the bottom feeder was who allowed this to happen should be horsewhipped at the grave of Luis Bunuel.
View MoreOne year after Medem came to the spotlight with Vacas, he made The Red Squirrel, a deceptive film about love, sex, paranoia, mystery, violence, and existence. Complex, fascinating, and worthy of many viewings it is a film which marks Medem as a special talent, but which will probably confuse and annoy the average movie-goer with its interesting take on story-telling, heavy imagery and colourful symbolism.Jota is a young Spanish man, on the literal brink of suicide. A failed musician and lover who sees no future, he stands on the top of a bridge and prepares to jump. From nowhere, a motorcyclist appears, and races off the bridge, crashing heavily below. He goes to the wreckage while an ambulance is called and sees that the rider is a beautiful young women. When he goes with her to the hospital he says he is her boyfriend so that he can stay with her. The doctors say she will recover, but that she has suffered total amnesia. The doctors hope that Jota will be able to awaken her memories, believing he is her boyfriend, so he goes to her and acts the part. She does not remember, but they leave together. Jota decides to invent her life and their past, calling her Lisa, making her into his old girlfriend, Vertigo style and she goes along with it. Soon they are in love, and they decide to go on holiday to the Red Squirrel camp site. However, there both Lisa and Jota's motive's and pasts become less clear as fragments of memories blur with the present, and startling imagery surrounds them. They meet a family at the camp and spend time with them. They have their own problems which gradually rise into view, and Lisa acts strangely around them, in a powerfully erotic manner towards their son, and as a strong-willed women to their daughter. Soon a mysterious man appears who claims to know Lisa, and the lies soon begin to fall apart. Did Lisa know all along that Jota was lying, so she could escape the past? Was Jota trying to pave over the mistakes of the past, or did he have more sinister plans? And who is this new guy? The film descends into surrealism with funny parts, and plain, mind-bogglingly absurd scenes before coming to a close. There is much visual invention throughout the film, which becomes chaotic towards the climax, with that inexplicable '3rd arm punch' being the highlight. There is a tone of mistrust and paranoia throughout the film- we don't trust any of the characters just like they do not trust each other. Apparently Kubrick felt this was one of the best films he had ever seen, and it has much in common with much of his work, both visually and thematically. It draws more comparisons clearly with Vertigo, showing the same attention to symbolism which can be discussed till the end of time. Emma Suarez is perfect as Lisa, one of the best Spanish actresses alive, and Novo is also excellent as the plotting, pity-inducing and paranoid Jota. The only real faults to be found are that it maybe moves too slowly, will deceive everyone, and that the main part of the film is such a jigsaw that the makers and the audience have difficulty trying both to decipher everything in the last part and have a suitable ending. Not everything is answered, but that is the way it should be, and while the ending is satisfying, there is always that lingering suspicion in our minds that the story is far from over.8 out of 10
View More'The Red Squirrel' starts off like a Hitchcockian thriller, but soon becomes more complex and difficult to categorize. By the end of this utterly fascinating movie I would be hard pressed to label it. "A mystery" and "a love story" don't give you the whole picture. Just see it for yourself if you want something challenging and original. I know nothing about writer/director Julio Medem, but after watching this film I will rectify that as soon as possible! The basic plot is fairly simple - a washed up pop star contemplates suicide. Before he can do so he witnesses a road accident, a motorbike crash. A young girl is injured slightly but appears to be amnesiac. On the spur of the moment he tells her that he is her boyfriend and invents a name for her (Lisa, his ex-girlfriend, who he still loves). He visits her as she recuperates in hospital, and as it looks more and more likely that he will be found out, he smuggles her out and takes her on a camping holiday. Then things get a bit strange... The plot as I said is fairly simple, but the movie is not. I was hooked from the opening scenes and was fascinated until the very end. I really enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it.
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