This is the first of the series of short movies I am going to review at theskykid.com. The films I have in mind are around 30 -- which guarantees that you will have something to look for in the near future .

I picked the Spanish drama ” El Balancín de Iván ” as a first film to review. What immediately got me in it was the cinematography and the excellent use of lighting and shadow effects . The atmosphere in the film felt nostalgic and doomed and the director succeeded to translate the emotions of his characters to the viewers .  The film concentrates on the life of a family in Argentina during the dictatorship in that country.  A woman walking on deserted streets recalls her own childhood- her parents and the games she used to play with her little brother.  The news on the TV and the newspapers articles are the means by which the recent political development spread. The father is absent , and while the children are playing -- their model is looking worryingly trough the window. In the next few scenes we observe the most important scenes in the film -- trough which the director illustrates  the attempts of the parents to keep their children away from worries and troughts about a possible disaster.

This has also been portrayed in other films and one could probably wonder if that is the best way to act -- when you have children and there is a danger around -- would you try to pretend that the life goes normal or would you let them know what worries you ? There might be various answer to that question and may be El Balancín de Iván would shape your way of thinking in favour of one of them.

The film autobiographical , set on real events and quite intense -- I think that you would end up enjoying its 20 minutes .  The film was directed by Exodus Productions and  received  numerous awards at festivals and competitions all over the world .

One advice before you see the film :

Pay attention to the language, mostly to the advice given from Ivan’s father before jumping on the balance beam…

“No hay más miedo que el que se siente cuando ya no sientes ná”

Technical Data:
Director: Darío Stegmayer Director
Actores: Juan Diego Botto Actors
María Botto
Ernesto Alterio
Malena Alterio
Year:
2003
Country:
Spain

As I found the film on YouTube I am making it available in my blog. Please when you see it consider leaving a comment with your impression from the film or from my review of it. All comments are greatly appreciated. Yours, SkyKid