mgff: little ashes ★★
Website: littleashes-themovie.com
Director: Paul Morrison
Lead: Javier Beltrán
Co-Star: Robert Pattinson
Genre: Biography/Drama
Runtime: 112mins
Rating: Festival
Stars: ★★
Hrrm. Well not off to an excellent start with this year's Mardi Gras Film Festival from Queerscreen which kicked off last night. Tonight I headed off to watch Little Ashes which I understand to be one of the 'centerpiece' works of the Festival at the Academy Twin.
The only thing I knew about the film before going was that it was about the early life (and loves) of Salvador Dali and that it features Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame doing a bit of onscreen snogging with a boy. Neither of those things on their own do much for me -but I had been sold on it being a highlight of the program.
I can't say I found this that interesting or engaging. So the story is that in 1922 18 year old Dali (Pattinson) turns up to Madrid to go to school. He is accommodated in the Residencia de Estudiantes along with many of Spain's other most brilliant minds and he is there to attempt to better himself and impress everyone else. It doesn't take him long to impress a few particular individuals with the poet Federico García Lorca (Javier Beltran) and filmmaker Luis Buñuel (Matthew McNulty) taking a liking to him.
Frederico takes a particular liking to Dali and the attraction is reciprocated over time and this starts to marginalise Luis from the long running social duo. Not that Luis would want to know what the other two boys are up to - given a fairly broad socially conservative streak. Luis ends up heading off to Paris to further his own art - with Salvador and Federico heading to Madrid where Federico joins the extended Dali family.
But all does not see well with Salvador not entirely comfortable with the lifestyle he finds himself leading. Eventually he finds García Lorca's obsession too much to take and he follows Luis back to Paris where the collaborated on a number of film projects together.
But Paris will change Dali. He soon becomes a fixture on the social set and when ends up with a married woman. By the time García Lorca visits his friend again he finds him a completely different man.
It is not at all hard to see why Pattinson was cast in this role. He does a great job of resembling Dali and actually looks good in a number of scenes with his hair slicked right down. There isn't much evidence that Dali and García Lorca actually had a relationship and much of the film is speculative - but it does potentially make for a very good story. The problem here is in the execution though.
The actual engagement between these two men is just missing completely - there is next to now heart and soul behind their portrayal of the characters when it comes to the relationship.
One highlight? The music. Unfortunately there is no soundtrack available - but I am going to do a bit of a research and see if I can find out who composed a couple of tracks which really stood out to me. Both Matthew McNulty and Javier Beltrán are worth a second look (perv) too.
Leave this one for DVD late in the year.
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