In the past couple of weeks I have been lucky enough to cross off two
titles from my most anticipated films of 2017 list, thanks to the
local French and Spanish film festivals that have played here in
Melbourne. The French Film Festival provided me the opportunity to
see Kiyoshi Kurosawa's “Daguerrotype”, whilst just the other
night at the Spanish Film Festival I saw Alex de la Iglesia's “The
Bar”.
Its a normal morning in a city on the outskirts of Madrid. People go
about their daily business like any other day. A group of strangers,
unconnected in any way other than in their need to find food or drink
at this time of the day, find themselves together in a local food
bar. Everything is regular, with the sound of constant conversation
heard throughout the place, and no one inside this bar has any idea
that this day is going to be anything but normal. A patron pays his
bill, stands to leave and exits onto the street outside, where he is
immediately gunned down by a single shot from a sniper, the sound
echoing throughout the air. Within seconds the streets outside are
abandoned and the patrons inside, terrified. When another patron
decides to bring the bleeding and presumed dead man back inside on
the off chance that they can still help him, he too suffers the same
fate of the man he was trying to save. With two dead men now at the
base of the front door, it becomes immediately apparent to those
still inside that not only are they now trapped in this bar, but they
are at the centre of something huge, something that in these moments
of madness, they have no chance of understanding. However extreme
fear and self preservation does a funny thing to a person and it
isn't long before everyone turns on one another, blaming or accusing
them for the situation they now find themselves in. Through all the
bicker and arguments, suddenly someone realises that the two bodies
have disappeared. Where could they have gone, who took them and just
what the hell is going on here??
As long and as colourful as that synopsis is, believe it or not, that
is only the first ten minutes of “The Bar”, and from here on, the
film takes many twists and turns into unexpected terrorities and
tonal changes that I wont ruin here. For those though that do like
their labels, I would describe “The Bar” as a black
comedy/thriller with brief flourishes of horror. Alex de la Iglesia
and his regular co-writer Jorge Guerricaechevarria have come up with
an exciting scenario and have taken it in bold and unexpected
directions that give the pair a chance to critique current societal
values and the way we, as a race, no longer look out for one another,
rather we will do anything to survive even at the expense of another.
De la Iglesia has filled the bar with archetypal representations to
create a microcosm of modern society, but is smart enough to give
them enough colour and character to make it less obvious that this is
what he is doing. The characters in the bar consist of a bible
quoting homeless man, a gambling addicted loner, an ex-cop, a
lingerie salesman, an advertising executive who amusingly also looks
like a stereotypical Muslim, a gorgeous woman, an older cranky woman
who owns and runs the bar and her long time male worker. They are an
interesting and fun mix of people that de la Iglesia is able to
define quickly and make them all memorable, by giving each character
their moment. Through these characters he is able to hold a very sad
mirror towards our world as it is today, especially in regards to how
paranoid and scared we all are, where every where we look, we now see
a threat , no matter how placid an object or person may actually be.
It is a case of suspect or accuse first, ask questions later. De la
Iglesia, in his very un-PC way has a ball with this concept, creating
tension over a lingerie filled briefcase, and making fun of the fact
that the guy with the Muslim like beard must be the most suspicious
character, at least at the start.
Whilst Blanca Suarez, is undoubtedly the star of “The Bar” and is
incredibly good in her role of Elena, the person who steals the film
from right under her nose is Jaime Ordonez, who plays the doomsday
spouting homeless man Israel. His character is grotesque but Ordonez
commits and goes for it one hundred percent, making every moment with
this madman brilliant, and at times, chilling. He is unrecognisable
in the role, donning disgusting long matted hair and with a pair of
chipped and very unclean teeth; from a visual standpoint he is
someone you want to look away from, but the brilliance of Ordonez's
performance means that you sit there transfixed to every moment he is
on screen. In saying all that, I should point out that everyone
gives great performances here, and importantly for an ensemble cast,
they all compliment each other perfectly with no one trying to out do
anyone else. It was also great to see Alex de la Iglesia working
with Terele Pavez yet again, this time in the role of Amparo, the
bitchy and always cranky owner of the bar. One recurring moment that
I did love was all the male characters attempting to comfort Elena,
for the simple fact she is gorgeous and they just want to touch her.
It is amusing because a lot of the time de la Iglesia doesn't make a
big scene of it, with it happening in the background or even
sometimes out of focus.
Like all films by Alex de la Iglesia, “The Bar” moves at a
breakneck pace. The first ten minutes are like a bullet train, where
we meet the characters, see the situation they are in and then
watching them panic and react. By the end of the sequence, you feel
exhausted and it felt like it was going to be impossible to stay with
the film if the entirety of it moved at this pace. Thankfully
though, the film slows down for a bit and gives you and it, time to
breathe, before taking off yet again. My biggest criticism of de la
Iglesia and his films are that he is so imaginative that he tends to
put too much into them, and because of this I usually enjoy his films
that are a little more controlled and not as outrageous. That is a
ridiculous thing to say because all of Alex de la Iglesia's films are
insane; no one makes films like he does, but I tend to prefer those
that are a little pared back which I'm happy to say “The Bar” is.
Whilst it isn't a long film at all, due to the fast pace of the film
and the exhaustion it creates by trying to keep up with it, it does
feel longer than it is. I will say that the third act, which takes
place in the sewers down below the bar, does outstay its welcome
because it becomes a little repetitive by this stage, but for mine
this is really the only fault with the film.
Overall, with “The Bar” Alex de la Iglesia has created another
one of his excellent black comedies, this time all wrapped up in a
thriller too. While the film is loaded full of the darkest comedy
that would make most PC viewers blush, it is also one that is not
without a social conscience. Unfortunately because the film has a
mystery element to it, there are elements of the film that I cannot
talk about in my review, especially while the film is still so new,
so I apologise if this review seem a little anaemic. After “My Big
Night” and now “The Bar”, it appears that de la Iglesia is on a
bit of a roll again. Thankfully he has another film due out later in
the year, that he has already shot; the remake of the recent Italian
film “Perfect Strangers”. Hopefully he keeps his streak going,
but either way, “The Bar” ranks right up there with his best and
is one that has a lot of re-watch value.
3.5 Stars.
