Secretos del corazón (1997)

15631997secretosdelcoraop3Secretos del corazón isan exceptional movie produced in Spain. It follows the life and discoveries of of the 9 years old Javi who comes of age by learning how to face his fears and uncovers the secrets of the adult world – and the ones hidden in his heart. Javi is played by the young Andoni Erburu who sets an example for an outstanding acting . He is in almost all scenes in the movie and through his eyes one can re-experience the wonders of growing up . ( don`t forget to look into his eyes).
The script is strong and compelling while the rather slower pace of some scenes helps to comprehend the nature of the characters and motives for their actions.I enjoyed the dialogs between Javi and his older brother Juan as somehow the reminded me of myself and my cousin – how he always ask questions about life – and my answers which I admit follow the tone of the ones of Juan in making me sound like a smart ass . I liked the scenes in which the family had toasts around the table. The cinematography is good -especially the close up scenes which achieve their role as attention attractors.
Secretos del corazón was nominated and won various awards on festivals across the world. I have seen it several times in the past week which is not a usual trend for me . If you appreciate rite of passage movies and European cinema you will really like this movie .
Official Trailer
http://youtu.be/_mylEgZ3tNw
IMDB (link 
The box compares it to Cinema Paradiso, Children of Heaven, and Kolya, but My Life as a Dog and Hope and Glory also came to mind.That’s not bad company at all.”
Extract from a Review written by Nicholas Sheffo