PALM TREES IN THE SNOW
I watched a really random but really good film recently that I thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely watch again, so I want to share my thoughts on it below.
Film - Palm Trees In The Snow (Palmeras en la nieve)
Genre - Romantic Drama
Rating - * * * * *
Genre - Romantic Drama
Rating - * * * * *
Plot Overview (No need to be alerted on any spoilers I promise)
Based in what we now know as Equitorial Guinea, the film tells a compelling story of a Spanish man & a Guinean woman who fall in love in a Plantation in the 1950s (how interesting does it sound already?!). I won't reveal too much but it is a drama so brace yourself for some gasps and maybe tears.
Beware of some whipping of African workers by the white Spaniards which is always heartbreaking to see but I can see it's necessity for adding to the realism of when the film was set. Also, some scenes are not family friendly.
Personal opinion
Where do I even start with this one? I LOVED it! ...
I'm a sucker for good visuals & cinematography so I'll start there; this film is BEAUTIFUL to watch, the location it's set in is like a dream, it doesn't get much more picturesque than 1950's Africa; if you liked the visuals in Half of a Yellow Sun, you'll love this film.
I can't comment on the script as it is in Spanish which I can't understand lol, but my bet is that words are beautifully written and probably very poetic.
I really liked the narrative of the story as well and the different layers of the characters - the whole story comes about when a young Spanish woman goes to get answers about her family's past in Africa and the story develops from what she discovers.
The only faults I can give it:
1. It is in Spanish so you do have to watch it with subtitles (unless you speak Spanish of course) but that's a minor.
2. It is very lengthy - 2hrs 43mins - but honestly, the story wouldn't be as compelling if the film wasn't as prolonged as it is.
3. The casting of the lead female character is inconsistent; in her youth she is light-skinned and then as an elderly woman she is dark-skinned. Now there is nothing wrong with either, but they should've just picked one (but who knows, maybe they were trying to get airtime for both tones due to the under-representation of darker skin tones).
I give this 5 stars, (yup, it's that good) and it was originally a book so if anyone knows where I can purchase an English copy, holla!
Olive
xoxo
Based in what we now know as Equitorial Guinea, the film tells a compelling story of a Spanish man & a Guinean woman who fall in love in a Plantation in the 1950s (how interesting does it sound already?!). I won't reveal too much but it is a drama so brace yourself for some gasps and maybe tears.
Beware of some whipping of African workers by the white Spaniards which is always heartbreaking to see but I can see it's necessity for adding to the realism of when the film was set. Also, some scenes are not family friendly.
Personal opinion
Where do I even start with this one? I LOVED it! ...
I'm a sucker for good visuals & cinematography so I'll start there; this film is BEAUTIFUL to watch, the location it's set in is like a dream, it doesn't get much more picturesque than 1950's Africa; if you liked the visuals in Half of a Yellow Sun, you'll love this film.
I can't comment on the script as it is in Spanish which I can't understand lol, but my bet is that words are beautifully written and probably very poetic.
I really liked the narrative of the story as well and the different layers of the characters - the whole story comes about when a young Spanish woman goes to get answers about her family's past in Africa and the story develops from what she discovers.
The only faults I can give it:
1. It is in Spanish so you do have to watch it with subtitles (unless you speak Spanish of course) but that's a minor.
2. It is very lengthy - 2hrs 43mins - but honestly, the story wouldn't be as compelling if the film wasn't as prolonged as it is.
3. The casting of the lead female character is inconsistent; in her youth she is light-skinned and then as an elderly woman she is dark-skinned. Now there is nothing wrong with either, but they should've just picked one (but who knows, maybe they were trying to get airtime for both tones due to the under-representation of darker skin tones).
I give this 5 stars, (yup, it's that good) and it was originally a book so if anyone knows where I can purchase an English copy, holla!
Olive
xoxo