Little Ashes (2009)

Director: Paul Morrison
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Javier Beltran


Review:

This is a film I think would be much enjoyable if you are more familiar with art, and know who Salvador Dali, Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunuel are. I am not into paintings or poets, so it would be natural for me to oblivious to who they are, but I really should not miss Luis Bunuel. He is a famous surrealist director, with works such as The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972). Well I'll catch up sometime.

Despite my ignorance to these figures, this is still an effective movie, especially towards the end. It tells the story of the relationship between Salvador Dali and Garcia Lorca, or should I say more directly, homosexual love. We see the young people that's into art, with classy talks and tasteful lifestyle in the University, and a newcomer that is Salvador Dali. Garcia Lorca and Salvador Dali both attacted each other, and kept pushing the boundary together, but finally Dali found he could not do homosexual intercourse.

Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me. I fuck me hard.

This is the turning point of the movie, not only does we witness Dali change, but also the point that the movie from mediocre to touching. In the first part it is lacklusting, which we see how they meet each other and how they were in love. But when Dali failed to have sex with Lorca, he started to change. He left Lorca to Paris, and when he comes back he seemed to have become a different person. He was full of arrogance, fucked all kind of women in paris and acted as if their love had never happened. But we can penetrate through his mind that he is just jealous.

Dali: "I think it's something new."
Lorca: "It's extraordinary. ... (You were drawing) Me."
Flickaholic: "? What?"

One memorable scene would be Dali insulting and at the same time confronting Lorca for his homosexuality, and Lorca's girlfriend Magalende came for a fuck. Lorca fucked her in front of Dali, and all three of them were crying. There is so much contradicting emotion filled with this scene: Dali's love with his fear of being queer, jealously towards the Magalenda who was having sex with Lorca, and how this fuck tramatize him, Lorca's anger towards Dali's change, and Magalenda's happiness and sadness on having sex with the man she loves but knowing that the man had someone else on his mind.

In additional, I do like the classy feel in the film. The characters talks and act classy, and I do wish I am surrounded by this kinda people. I like intelliect talks and the pride of being superior, not about stupid iPhones. But it does not seems to happen.

Robert Pattinson is panned for his appearance in the Twilight movies, and watching Little Ashes I believe he is a good actor. He convoyed the emotions to the audience in just the right amount of not overdoing it. I havnt seen any of the Twilight movies and judging from the plot it would have been sucked disregard who's doing it. Just give this guy a chance.

This is not as impressive as some other homosexual films, but if you not a homophobia, maybe this will be touching you.