Small Sparkles and Little Pearls

Spanish Film Festival - Mugaritz. No Bread, No Dessert

Spanish Film Festival – Mugaritz. No Bread, No Dessert Rating

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Paco Plaza’s “Mugaritz: No Bread, No Dessert” is a poetic documentary that explores the inner workings of one of the world’s most inventive restaurants – Mugaritz. Led by chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, a self-proclaimed non-leader steering his energetic staff with generosity and “stepping back”, the restaurant closes from November to April each year to recreate its thematic menu. For 2025, the culinary concept is “What Cannot Be Seen”.

Plaza’s wobbly, handheld camera is distracting as it allows us to observe the detailed process of creation, trial and perfection through the eyes of what appears to be an overly caffeinated voyeur. There are many scenarios which could have been left out, minimised or replaced with more moments of tension (more than the one shown) to alleviate the feeling of being in an hour-and-a-half board meeting.

The music, composed by Mikel Salas, is bizarre. Salas uses cutlery and frying pans in an effort to match the poeticism of the cuisine, yet ends up making one feel as if they are listening to an Apple iPhone alarm instead of a sumptuous musical score. However, visually, the documentary delights.

The pastoral Basque countryside, the streamlined, cosy restaurant and the new ways in which the fragile dishes are put together all combine to give the audience a real feast for the eyes. There is an entrée tea ceremony where the cups are made from frozen, green tea leaves; then comes a broth only reachable by breaking into an edible bone with a rock and notably a soup-like-substance whereby the diner has to lean down and lick it out of a mould made to look like…well, it’s naughty.

Although “No Bread, No Dessert” has been applauded for its appeal to the masses, this reviewer feels this will appeal especially to the restauranteur and food lovers. It is fascinating for the risk-taker-chefs and those who are interested in combining cooking with storytelling. As Aduriz himself says, it is “…small sparkles and little pearls”.

To book tickets to this or any other film at the Spanish Film Festival, please visit https://spanishfilmfestival.com/.

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Marco, The Invented Truth – 2025 HSBC Spanish Film Festival

Spanish Film Festival - Marco, The Invented Truth

Marco, The Invented Truth Rating

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Based on a true story, and what an exceptional tale. Marco, The Invented Truth tells of the deception that charismatic Enric Marco unrelentingly and unapologetically carried with him for most of his life. Premiering in Australia at the 2025 HSBC Spanish Film Festival, this film is a gem that is well worth the investment of a packed 100 minutes of time.

A Spanish factory worker in Germany during World War II, Marco contrived the story of being a Holocaust survivor, in his mind to highlight the plight of approximately 9000 Spanish deportees who were imprisoned in concentration camps during the war – less than half of whom survived. Enric Marco was appointed as president of the Amincal Mauthausen, the association set up to defend the rights of the 9,000 Spanish people who were sent to Nazi concentration camps. His tireless work, which included giving numerous talks to school children, was revered.

His courage while suffering the horrors of Flossenbürg, the camp in which he claims to have been held prisoner, was given great respect and admiration, and through his efforts, Marco brought the organisation to great heights. That was until his false assertions were uncovered by historian Benito Bermejo who declared him a fake; he had never been in a concentration camp. The reality was that Enric Marco volunteered to travel to Germany in 1941 to work for the German war machine.

Although in fact Marco was imprisoned in Germany, it was not in a concentration camp but rather a Gestapo jail, accused of spreading Communist propaganda. A master storyteller who never apologised for his indiscretions upset many, although he was unrelenting in his belief that what he did, he did for good reasons.

Written by Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, Jorge Gil Munarriz, and Jose Mari Goenaga, the building of the lie was directed believably by Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño as they work to take the audience on a roller coaster of emotions that fall somewhere between sympathy and dismay. 2025 Spanish Cinema Writers Circle Award winner for Best Actor, Spanish born Eduard Fernández’ depicts Enric Marco with extraordinary poise. If for no other reason, and there are many, Marco, The Invented Truth is worth watching for Fernández’ stunning performance alone.

To book tickets to films at the Spanish Film Festival, please visit https://spanishfilmfestival.com/.

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Spanish Film Festival: El 47

El 47

El 47 Rating

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The timing of the Spanish Film Festival could not be better, as Sydney plunges into winter, the warmth of the stories, the sun drenched cinematography, and the hot stories from Spain, are truly what the soul needs.

One of the stand outs of the program is the critically acclaimed, multi award winning film about a humble bus driver in charge of route 47 in Barcelona. Little did I expect to be so emotionally moved by a story about a bus driver! But what Manolo stands for is much more than his job, his bus route or career. He comes from a suburb on the outskirts of Barcelona, where each house was built by hand, brick by brick, by Spanish refugees escaping the impoverished and corrupt Andalusian and Extremaduran communities.

Even though the locals bought the land in the Torre Baro district with their own money, they have lived for years as second class citizens of Barcelona, with barely any access to running water, paved roads or political representation.

When Manolo, driving for the city Transport Services, sees the neighbourhood losing its young people, with his own home beginning to crumble away and his wife begging to move away, he decides on one last act of rebellion. After all other politically correct avenues fail – he decides to hijack his bus and take it up to the suburb which politicians labelled unreachable.

The beautiful subtlety of the main actor tugs on the heart strings as you witness what one man’s act of rebellion can achieve. Too often we are told one ‘man’ cannot achieve anything against the ‘greater machine’ but in this true story, that one man’s act of rebellion changes everything!

I stand with Manolo! I want to hijack my own proverbial bus and make a change for the better.

Follow this link to book tickets to El 47 or any other Spanish Films Festival showings @ https://spanishfilmfestival.com/.

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How Much Honesty Is The Best Policy?

What Marielle Knows

What Marielle Knows Rating

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What Marielle Knows is a part of Melbourne’s German Film Festival for 2025. It was selected and screened at the Berlinale this year and follows parents Julia and Tobias when they discover that their daughter can see and hear everything they do, whether she is with them or not. The film is advertised as a comedy, however I think it would be better suited to a dark comedy label, dabbling very closely with drama. The film centres on the married couple and how through discovering their daughter’s sudden telepathic abilities, the fragile foundations of their relationship start to crumble and teeter them dangerously close to divorce.

The film tackles a lot in its 86 minute run time, which makes for a really engaging watch. On the surface What Marielle Knows is looking at lying, where the line is, what does honesty mean when compared to truth, and how much of the truth we should share with the people in our lives. Underneath that, it interrogates family dynamics, how each parent has a distinctly different connection with the same child and how this can be manipulated by either parent. It looks at the plain and simple morality of a child and tries to apply those black and white notions to complicated, more mature feelings.

At the bottom of the iceberg, the film is an exploration of the lessons parents teach their kids, commenting on how although they don’t see every action their parents take, there will always be a follow through of emotional consequences. I enjoyed the way the film brought each of these themes up. It felt as though director Frédéric Hambalek thought carefully about each when embedding them into the film’s narrative.

What did divert this understanding for me, was little attention the film paid to Marielle herself. Her parents are the main characters and in many ways Marielle serves as the antagonist, so it was an interesting creative choice to only really examine her reactions through the slow motion, rainbow dyed frames of her that were inserted between moments like title cards. It didn’t do a disservice to the story, as it focused on parental guilt and the pressures of trying to be a good parent and what that even means, but it did make me itch for a version of events told from her eyes, how she’s reacting to some of the more intense moments Julia and Tobias experience.

The greatest highlight of the film to me was the performances. Julia Jentsch, who played Julia, Felix Kramer who portrayed Tobias and Laeni Geiseler who was Marielle, all really brought their characters to life in a way that really allowed me to empathise with all of them. Felix Kramer in particular really shone to me, he conveyed a man on the brink of a nervous breakdown with such careful restraint; the whole film I was waiting to watch the delicate wire he perched his character on snap. Together, the cast had fantastic chemistry, despite their differing physical appearances, they really felt like a believable family unit.

As equally empathetic each character felt to the audience, I thought it was an interesting choice to make Julia’s character into the villain towards the end of the film. The film and Marielle gave Tobias much more grace for his actions, but gave Julia the most work to overcome. I didn’t necessarily resonate with this aspect of the story, considering how much Tobias consistently abused her trust throughout the film, however I do think that beneath this is an interesting discussion of where the line is when it comes to telling the ‘truth’.

For a comedy, this film packs its themes in air tight and gives the viewer plenty to chew on through a unique and original concept.

To book tickets to What Marielle Knows, or any other films in the German Film Festival, please visit https://germanfilmfestival.com.au/.

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