Criticism of ‘Las gentiles’, the portrait of Santi Amodeo’s youth

20 years ago, ‘The Pilgrim Factor’ and ‘Astronauts’ gave us the feeling of to finally witness the emergence of a young Spanish cinema, free of complexes (also in the linguistic register) and fully connected with its time. After following other paths, Santi Amodeo returns with ‘Las gentiles’ to those origins. Filmed again in her native Seville, the film takes us into the hands of Ana (magnetic Africa de la Cruz) and her fascination with her friend Corrales (also magnificent Paula Díaz) in that convulsive and nihilistic period of post-adolescence in which the fantasy of suicide is more attractive than moving towards the mediocrity of the adult world.

Amodeo registers with enviable naturalness the disorientation of youth in the time of social networks, whose flow of images that are as absorbing as they are fleeting, the director perfectly integrates into his narrative. Although this time the generational distance is noticeable in certain decisions, the film is impregnated with the tone of its referential image, that pool of placid and greenish waters that hides a dark abyss under its surface of pre-Raphaelite beauty.

To meet again with the best Spanish director of the beginning of the century

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DATA SHEET

Address: Santi Amodeo Distribution: Africa de la Cruz, Alvar Inger, Lola Buero, Olga Navalón, Paula Díaz Original title: the gentiles Country: Spain Year: 2022 Release date: 03–06-2022 Gender: Drama Script: Santi Amodeo, Rafael Cobos Duration: 77 min.

Synopsis: Ana is just another middle-class girl, with family conflicts and identity problems typical of her age. Although since she met her friend Corrales (17) the word suicide has entered her life, apparently only as a distant and transgressive idea. But, little by little, what seemed like a game on social networks ends up filtering into reality.