Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Neil Turner This beautiful film is based upon a memoir of Gerald Brenan who was a member of England's Bloomsbury Group. It is the story of a randy young man who completely immerses himself in the lives and culture of a small Spanish town shortly after WWI. Brenan, throughout his long life, was an adventurer and traveler who seemed to have had the enviable ability to absorb and learn from all of his varied experiences.The movie begins with Brenan trooping through the Spanish countryside to reach a small town where he has obtained a house. His greeting from the locals cannot be considered warm but still not hostile. His intent is to read, write, and absorb the culture of this town that is somewhat of a throwback to the previous century - not something really unusual considering this is rural Spain in the 1920's. As time passes, he becomes more of a member of the community but is still seen as a curious oddity by many of the residents.Brenan's fascination and admiration of the people and their culture was clearly evident. He and his writings became admired by the Spanish people and recognized by the Spanish government.This film is particularly enjoyable because it is evocative of the unique period in Europe between the wars when so many artists shed the constraining straitjacket of Victorianism for an enlightened, erotic freedom of expression. Matthew Goode who plays Brenan is perfect as a young man freed from the oppression of war and the oppression of society to explore all the educational and erotic pleasures available. He is supported by an excellent cast of Spanish actors - the men portraying character and strength, the women exemplifying emotion and dark, sensuous passion.I may be a bit prejudiced in my liking for this film. If I could pick another time and place to live my life, I would choose that time between the wars in Europe, so I tend to lap up any book or film depicting that period. Even if you are not as enamored as I am of that time, I think you will find Al sur de Granada worthwhile entertainment.

Elfersan This is a beautiful looking movie, wonderfully photographed. It isn't a great film by any means, but it is charming and entertaining, presenting a topical view of life in the southern villages of Spain at the time. The characters are not fully fleshed people, they are stereotypes attempting to represent the different hues of the Spanish psyche... if you look hard enough, you can even find references to the Quixote/Sancho relationship which is so characteristic of the Spanish culture. There are some disappointments too: social issues such as the great divide between rich and poor, the consequences of the religious protestant reform failure in Spain, and the emigration dream (in this case to Argentine) are just touched but never fully explored. Fernando Colomo is an A-list director of the Spanish film industry and he has attracted a star studded cast to this movie. Great names like Antonio Resines and Angela Molina are happy to take on what they are really minor roles... The acting in general is quite good. Ultimatelly this ends up being a 'fish out of water' film which appears to have had pretensions of becoming a quality/art cinema when first conceived, but never quite achieved it.

paulhoog-1 Having myself lived in an Andalusian pueblo for the better part of a year (albeit in 2004) I found myself amused by some of the similarities between my own "modern" experiences and those of Geraldo in this light-hearted romantic comedy -- particularly the dumb-struck way in which he initially blunders about in a world that is in many ways completely alien to him. Also quite familiar was the tightness of the community, the openness, the love of the art of conversation, the desire (as embodied in the character of Paco) to find any reason to throw a party, and of course, the wonderful, passionate Flamenco.The village characters, less than fully fleshed-out individuals but more than stereotypes, are in some ways archetypes of the times. Much of Andalusia was impoverished in that time period (another familiarity to me, having grown up in a small, poor rural town in the US) -- and yes, as in all such places, there are the machinations for dominance in the village, the matrimonial plotting of the town matriarchs, and even the mystique embodied, however clumsily, by the gangly English foreigner Geraldo, who has arrived looking only inspiration, but finds himself rather lost and quickly swept away by the engines of fate.Far from being a "serious" film, this comedy depicts well the clash of Geraldo's naive artistic intentions with what life in this poor Andalusian town, to which he is so completely new, actually provides him. The film serves as a metaphor of more modern times in Andalusia as well, with so many Britons and other northerners having relocated to the Spanish Mediterranean -- bringing with them the two-edged sword of wealth and development, which has lifted much of Andalusia out of poverty in recent decades, but subverted a good deal of passionate tradition as well. Little pueblos evolve into bedroom communities for British, Dutch and German retirees and wealthy vacationers, and new golf resorts spring up like weeds. The transformation of Andalusiua, depicted in a simplistic way in the film, continues.

benjgarc I have to say that finally I see a Fernando Colomo's movie that I like. "Al sur de Granada" is beautifully filmed, has a nice pace and contains superb acting. The recreation of beginning of the century Alpujarras is convincing, the characters credible and the plot engaging.