Shame is the great unsaid. It’s the emotional baggage we carry and the anxious thoughts that niggle in the back of our minds. How do individuals face their own shame? And what are the consequences?
Celebrated writer/director David Planell teases out these themes in his provocative film La Vergüenza. The story of a successful, thirty-something couple coming to terms with whether or not they’ll go through with the adoption of their 8 year old Peruvian foster child, Manu. That’s on the surface at least. Through the course of a day Pepe and Lucia are confronted by much more than their own doubts. Responsibility, fear, anger and even love are opened up under the enquiring eye of their adoption caseworker.
La Vergüenza could easily be a play, driven by dialogue and set in two apartments. While Pepe and Lucia struggle to impress the caseworker, Manu is with his Peruvian nanny, Rosa, as she contends with her own shameful secret. Such weighty topics are handled well by all the leads, though Alberto San Juan (Pepe) is given the most to do and steals a few scenes from Natalia Mateo’s (Lucia) more understated performance. Marta Aledo (Rosa) also brings a reserved power to her role and her climactic scene is simply shattering.
Planell’s gift is his patience with this story and way he allows scenes to breathe. Like any emotions rising to the surface, the film is a slow burn. Planell’s dialogue is sparse at times, allowing you to pick up on the tense atmosphere of the house (and really, be wondering what on earth is going on!) before the specifics come seeping out. Some of the plot points can probably be guessed, but it’s a tribute to the screenplay and the performances that the plot feels utterly unique to these characters.
This could all sound dark and depressing, but actually Planell manages to inject a bit of humour into the film. There’s humour – however biting – when the truth finally comes out and shame is brought into the light. Relief may follow, but so do the consequences.
The ending, however is a bit more obscure. Purposefully so, one assumes. Perhaps your opinion about the ending speaks to how well you, the audience, believe the characters have dealt with their shame. For me, there’s devastating poignancy, followed by a final scene of hope; hope and a new, if fragile, beginning.
ImagePublished on the Spanish Film Festival Blog.
Just quietly, I imagine not many women can pull off that haircut, but somehow Natalia Mateo makes it work. I think it has something to do with her amazing cheekbones and lips.
0 comments:
Post a Comment