Elisa y Marcela
2019 / 118m - Spain
Drama, Romance
3.0*/5.0*
Elisa & Marcela poster

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July 07, 2020

3.0*/5.0*

A rather basic arthouse drama. The clean and crisp black and white cinematography is the star of the film and deserves some accolades, but beyond that, there isn't all that much here. It's a fairly standard story about a same-sex relationship that isn't accepted by the world our protagonists live in.

The film is based on a true story and there are some remarkable details that make the story stand out. But these footnotes never add much to the emotional weight of the film and the structure remains all too familiar. Two people meet, fall in love, but society won't have none of it and persecution follows.

The cast is decent but nothing more. The soundtrack is pretty standard arthouse fare too. A piano here, some string work there, but never truly present. And even though the film looks absolutely stunning, there is also some very cliché imagery (like the close-ups of flowers in the rain) that could've been left out. It's definitely not a bad film, but it's a little too expected and familiar.