‘The Bar’ is Spanish director Alex De La Iglesia’s latest film, a thriller about a group of strangers in Madrid who become trapped in a bar after a shooting in the town. It becomes apparent that anyone who tries to leave the bar also is a target. Although the premise of having a bunch of conflicting characters stuck together against their will has been done many times before, Iglesia still manages to keep it feeling unique through its use of satire and political relevance – it shows examples of paranoia surrounding terrorism and government conspiracy, at times in a humorous way – as well as the bright visual style which, much like the characters, becomes darker by the end.
The opening scene of the film gives a great first impression when it introduces the characters. It’s done in an interesting and creative way, with the camera flowing from one character to the next before we eventually see their paths cross at the bar. The camerawork is the main element that makes this film so intense besides the performances; there’s a lot of fast-paced close-up shots that succeed in making it feel incredibly claustrophobic. One problem people may have with the film is that the characters are quite simple, but I actually liked this as it allowed me to imagine their lives and the possible reasons for their actions and decisions. Furthermore, the reasons behind the characters being targeted is ambiguous for a while, and manages to keep you guessing and theorising along with the characters. Not knowing all the answers all the time makes the experience even more intense.
Overall this is an interesting, absurd film that will probably be especially loved by those who are already fans of Iglesia’s work, but will hopefully also reach a larger audience because of its familiar premise and modern aesthetic. Anyone should at least be able to appreciate the great camerawork as well as its relevance to current affairs, even if it does demonstrate a rather cynical perspective.
The opening scene of the film gives a great first impression when it introduces the characters. It’s done in an interesting and creative way, with the camera flowing from one character to the next before we eventually see their paths cross at the bar. The camerawork is the main element that makes this film so intense besides the performances; there’s a lot of fast-paced close-up shots that succeed in making it feel incredibly claustrophobic. One problem people may have with the film is that the characters are quite simple, but I actually liked this as it allowed me to imagine their lives and the possible reasons for their actions and decisions. Furthermore, the reasons behind the characters being targeted is ambiguous for a while, and manages to keep you guessing and theorising along with the characters. Not knowing all the answers all the time makes the experience even more intense.
Overall this is an interesting, absurd film that will probably be especially loved by those who are already fans of Iglesia’s work, but will hopefully also reach a larger audience because of its familiar premise and modern aesthetic. Anyone should at least be able to appreciate the great camerawork as well as its relevance to current affairs, even if it does demonstrate a rather cynical perspective.
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