Palace Nova Cinemas
Moro Spanish Film Festival
Screening Opening Night, 22 July 2021.
Review by Geoff Jenke
From writer/director Icíar Bollaín (Take My Eyes, Even the Rain), the joyous new romantic comedy ROSA’S WEDDING features the superb Candela Peña (Truman, Kiki, Love to Love) as a woman who finally decides to take charge of her life after always putting others first.
About to turn 45, seamstress Rosa (Peña) works in the wardrobe department of a film production company in Valencia. Besides the pressure of her job, she’s also besieged from all sides by the demands of family members: her widowed dad, Antonio (Ramón Barea), who insists he’s moving in with her; her divorced brother Armando (Sergi López), who has financial problems; her possibly-alcoholic sister Violeta (Nathalie Poza); and her grown-up daughter Lidia (Paula Usero) who’s living with a musician in Manchester and raising twin infants. Plus, there’s the constant favours for friends and neighbours…
Taken completely for granted and tired of living for others, Rosa retreats to her childhood home in the scenic coastal town of Benicàssim and – much to the consternation of her family – announces her wedding to someone that those around her can’t quite accept or believe!
Despite the movie being about a family is total disarray, (apparently the actors, except Rosa, were told to talk over each other while filming, no matter what problems this may cause later in editing) after watching it the first thing one thinks is, this movie was a lot of fun. Not a “drop dead laughing” at every scene funny but one that will leave a smile on your face and have you talking about it to friends for days to come. It doesn’t rush along; in fact, it was quite relaxing watching the 99 minutes.
Great performances from all the cast with a special mention to Segi Lopez who stole several scenes.
A word-of-mouth sensation in its native Spain and nominated for eight Spanish Academy Awards, ROSA’S WEDDING is a bright and breezy mix of comedy and pathos, anchored by Peña’s memorable and truthful turn. Indeed, Rosa’s winsome determination to appreciate her own beauty, complexity and spirit is a life-affirming call to self-empowerment and independence.
Highly Recommended.
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