›› Después del invierno - After the Winter
a short film by Antonio Ufarte.
2013 | 15 mins | Spain.
principal players: Eva María Fernández / María, Charo García / the Mother and Sergio Soler as Marco.
cameo appearance by Antonio Ufarte as Marco's new boyfriend.
Official Synopsis: "After the Winter is a modern fable in which we discover through three characters in extreme situations, the human ability to succeed in any situation."
Dave says:-
Crammed with more emotional anguish in the opening act, than many a Hollywood feature I could name, this poignant short film charts the lives of three individuals, each touched by troubling times, but who resolve to move on from personal tragedy to happiness. And here cue a woman subject to the physical abuse of her wife beating husband, a mother mourning the sudden death of her beloved son and finally, gay boy Marco returning home to find that his boyfriend has exited stage left, leaving a "Dear John" note in his absence.
In short, this is but a "message in a cinematic bottle" piece from writer and director Antonio Ufarte, as the dark nights of Autumn turn into the joys of the Spring rebirth and whilst personally I am not a fan of the repetitive fade in / out style, I dare say that it is appropriate here. True, each scenario cries out for narrative development to parts of the story, as yet untold; how did Marco meet his new boyfriend, for a start? Yet by sandwiching each tale into the one short film, Ufarte in his assured cinematic debut hits home with his "after the rain, comes the sun" theme, for and in the words of D:Ream; things can only get better.
After the rain, comes the sun in Después del invierno.
Working with few resources, but crafted with an abundance of TLC, including a lush mix of classical music with modern day sounds, Ufarte opts to divide his short into the three seasonal acts of Autumn, Winter and Spring; with the last one gloriously showcasing sunnier times for one and all. As ever, see what you think of this bitter / sweet work from a director that frankly, I want to see more of.
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Gay Visibility - overt.
Nudity - none.
Overall - file under ... 3+ stars.
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