Javier Beltran & Robert Pattinson in the movie Little Ashes. Movie Review & Trailer

"Little Ashes" is a trifling historical fantasy, gossip wrapped in gossamer, beautiful to watch, but it takes only a light wind to leave the story in tatters.

The setting is an imaginary Madrid, circa 1922.

The Catholic Church and the intellectuals are locked in a battle for the Spanish soul.

 

At the university, ideas and emotions are roiling the lives of three friends, the esoteric debated over massive quantities of alcohol.

They will grow into important creative forces: painter Salvador Dali, poet Federico Garcia Lorca and filmmaker Luis Bunuel.

Throw in rumors of an affair between Dali and Lorca, a disaffected Bunuel departing for Paris with Dali soon following, a heartbroken Lorca struggling with his sexual orientation, and you have some idea of the many loose threads of Philippa Goslett's script that filmmaker Paul Morrison tries to stitch into whole cloth.

 

Thanks to director of photography Adam Suschitzky, "Little Ashes" is beautifully spare in its look, and the pacing has a sort of decadent languor to it, opposites that in this case attract.

It is the narrative that confuses, darting here and there, telling half stories before abandoning them for others as it tries to cover inner turmoil, creative turmoil, political turmoil, religious turmoil and a lot of other turmoil too exhausting to mention here.

In the end, "Little Ashes" is a case of too little of this and too much of that, and like the rumored affair, nothing of substance to hold on to.

Little Ashes MPAA rating: R (for sexual content, language and a brief disturbing image).

Running time: 1:52.

Starring: Javier Beltran (Federico Garcia Lorca); Robert Pattinson (Salvador Dali); Matthew McNulty (Luis Bunuel); Marina Gatell (Magdalena); Arly Jover (Gala).

Directed by Paul Morrison;

Written by Philippa Goslett;

Produced by Carlo Dusi, Jonny Persey and Jaume Vilalta.

 

A Regent Releasing release.

 

Little Ashes Movie Review - Javier Beltran & Robert Pattinson

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