El Bola DVD > Reviews > MISTREAT

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	A great plot, the cast and its strong message
Disadvantages:	It isn't too much known outside Spain

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

In first place I would like to thank the ciao team that they have added this product.

Maybe most of you don’t know this film, it is called ‘El Bola’ that in English means ‘The Ball’ or ‘The Marble’ and which is the nickname of the main character of the film.It is written and directed by Achero Mañas a beginner in the cinema world who does a wonderful work in this film.
El Bola isn’t just one drama film more it also is a report against the children’s mistreat.

--- PLOT ---

Pablo, called ‘El Bola’ is a boy who lives in a deprived borough in Madrid and who has like an amusement to play in train’s rails with his friends, until Alfredo comes.
Alfredo is a new boy in the borough with a good and funny family without money problems.

Not like in the family of El Bola, the money scarces, they look after the old grandma who suffer Alzheimer and he also has to live every day with his father, an ironmonger who has changed so much because of the death of his other son, the Pablo’s brother. Since that date, he is a violent man who solves all the problem mistreating his son and his wife who are screamed.

But his mother doens’t do anything to help him, she loves his son and she doesn’t want his husband hit him but she is like confused, she wants to imagine that what she is seeing isn’t true and when she knows it is, we can se in her face that she thinks that she can’t do anything although she can.

The new friendship of Pablo with Alfredo, does that Pablo changes, he is tired to try to hide the injuries that his father makes him, he creates a huge friendship with all the family, the Alfredo’s father a tatoo maker invites him to eat or to go out sometimes with all the family, which makes Pablo to be like enjoying other life, when he’s with them his other life is forgotten.

But the things can change, problems can come, but I’m not going to be the one who destroys the story so if you want to know, watch it!

But this film isn’t just that, it is the portrait of the reality that is more than ever seen here, the pain that some children suffer defenceless because their fathers like to solve everything with the strenght, although they look a very nice people for the neighbours.

---- CAST -----

The cast of this film is a group of unknown actors and actresses of the moment, for some of them this was their first film and the others just had experience in little productions or in the theatre.

Juan José Ballesta, is the actor who plays the role of Pablo, and he does it very well, this was recognised by the Goya Awards Jury members who gave him the Goya to the best actor.

--- PRIZES ---

El Bola is a film that surprised everybody in the Goya Award (Spanish Films Academy Awards) of its year (2001). It wasn’t between the favourites of the night and most of the people hadn’t seen it but it was the queen winning 5 statues.

In Berlin, Achero Mañas won the prize to the best beginner director.
At that time, there were lots of similarities between Achero Mañas and Amenabar, who also had had a big succes in the Goyas with 7 prizes in his moment with ‘Tesis’ and who later would continue with it with films like ‘The Others’.

--- RECOMMENDATION ---

I recommend it to all of you, although it is a film that in some scenes can be sad, it has a very interesting plot and the actors play very well their role, specially the boy (the actor Juan José Ballesta). It maybe can be more difficult to get it in the UK because it isn’t so famous, but I’m sure that you will be able to find it.

P.S. Sorry for the mistakes I do...