Even the Rain
Even the Rain
Obsessive idealist Sebastián has sworn to direct a film about one of the world’s most iconic figures, Christopher Columbus. He is determined to overturn the myth of the arrival of Western Civilization in the Americas as a force for good. His film will show what Columbus set in motion: the obsession with gold, the taking of slaves, and the terrible violence visited on those Indians who fought back.
2.8 out of 5 based on 10 reviews
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Omniscore:
|
| Certificate |
15 |
| Genre |
Drama, History |
| Director |
Icíar Bollaín |
| Cast |
Luis Tosar, Najwa Nimri, Karra Elejalde, Gael García Bernal |
| Studio |
Dogwoof |
| Release Date |
May 2012 |
| Running Time |
103 mins |
| |
Obsessive idealist Sebastián has sworn to direct a film about one of the world’s most iconic figures, Christopher Columbus. He is determined to overturn the myth of the arrival of Western Civilization in the Americas as a force for good. His film will show what Columbus set in motion: the obsession with gold, the taking of slaves, and the terrible violence visited on those Indians who fought back.
Reviews
The Guardian
Mike McCahill
“A smart, socially aware fable about a Spanish film crew – headed by Gael García Bernal as a kind of heartthrob Herzog. ”
17/05/2012
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Time Out
Dave Calhoun
“Films about filmmaking can be navel-gazing, but Bollaín and Laverty offer a cutting, self-critical analysis of their medium while finding an honest and effective perspective on history – even if Tosar’s late conversion to the way of compassion seems to be missing the point. ”
16/05/2012
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The Times
Kate Muir
“Sometimes the drama forces the political points down your throat. ”
18/05/2012
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Total Film
Tom Dawson
“Undeniably didactic drama, but scores points for stylistic ambition and its heartfelt sympathies towards the dispossessed.”
08/05/2012
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The Evening Standard
Charlotte O'Sullivan
“As the shoot progresses, Sebastian begins to unravel. Alas, so does the script. Daniel has no depth — an update of the noble savage, he’s savvy and noble. Permanently. As a result, dramatic tension drains from the screen and the last act, which sees a big change in Costa, is pure guilty-liberal wish-fulfilment.”
18/05/2012
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The Independent
Anthony Quinn
“Laverty's script is wry about the difficulties of shooting in a foreign language and rather didactic about everything else, including the eternal nature of colonial exploitation. It's based on an actual dispute of 2000, when civil demonstrators made war on the corporate privatisation of water – "even the rain" was up for grabs. ”
18/05/2012
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The Scotsman
Alistair Harkness
“Presenting the exploitation parallels with well-meaning if overly schematic bluntness, the hectoring tone they deploy undermines a film that chastises the movie industry for kowtowing to commercial demands while itself focusing on how exposure to real-life oppression mainly affects characters that can be played by world cinema box-office draws such as Bernal and Tosar.”
17/05/2012
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The Sunday Times
Edward Porter
“The film’s writer, Paul Laverty (Ken Loach’s regular screenwriter), fills the story with incident, but doesn’t quite make it subtle enough to be satisfying.”
20/05/2012
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The Financial Times
Nigel Andrews
“If this were a Perils of Pauline episode, we’d laugh it off the screen.”
17/05/2012
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