MSPIFF: Saturday 4/24: Spain

Sun, Apr 25, 2010

Saturday was Day 9 of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival.  It was also concert day (with god-daughter Viveka and Ian singing) and pick-up-Mom-from-the-airport-returning-from-holiday-in-Europe day, so I only made it to one film:

  * [Forever Waiting](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1338612/), Spain.  The reviews at IMDB are quite low, but at the moment there are only 9 total votes, so take it with a grain of salt.  [This film (MSPIFF link)](http://mspfilmfest.org/MMX/content/forever-waiting-hoy-no-se-fia-manana-si) is set in Spain in 1953 under General Franco.  Many Americans know about the vast domestic spying web that permeated East Germany; the opening of the Stasi's files was quite a shock to see.  Fewer might know about similar tactics used in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Russia itself.  But Franco used the same tools as the communists to stay in power for decades: informers, secret police, torture, and summary executions.  Gilda, our main character, tries to manipulate Franco's system to match her ambition within the Catholic Broadcasting Company to get a Union Card and higher pay.  But the system manipulates her far, far more.  **Recommended**.  Not showing again.