La Spagnola

Rating : 4/10
Running Time : 87 Minutes
Release Date : September ‘2001
Director : Steve Jacobs; Writer : Anna Maria Monticelli
Starring : Lola Marceli, Alice Ansara, Lourdes Bartolome, Simon Palomores

I still don’t know what it was about, the broader message emanating from this slice of life about two Spanish immigrants in Australia, Lola & Lucia, mother & daughter and how their relationship goes. Lola is the screeching, nagging type, in other words, your typical wife, except that she is downright stunning and has men doing double-takes throughout the film. Lucia is the quiet one, happy in the company of the several farm animals they have. Lola thinks she is just like her father but we have to take her word for that as we don’t see much of him – he walks out on Lola in the opening frame for an Australian woman. From the little we see of him, it seems Lola’s assessment of him as a weak, selfish coward, who always thought only of himself, seems true.

Lucia hates Lola for letting her father go. Lola also doesn’t like Lucia too much and their relationship is not pretty to watch. And neither is the movie – too much screaming, too much shouting, much ado about nothing. No blinding insights into the human psyche or the life of early emigrants into Australia or even Spanish people / women. There are a few funny scenes, the way the Australian woman kept reappearing was funny, as was the raffle or Lucia’s translations and definitely the whole sequence on Manola (Lola’s sister), who in contrast to her sister is a chirpy, happy soul. But they were too far and few in between a film that focused more on the unhappiness of life and the fact that you’ve no idea on whats going to hit you next. I really didn’t get the point of this one.

Thanks to UTV World Movies for sending me the DVD