Duque de Alba is Madrid’s last standing adult movie theatre. It is run run by Rafael and Luisa, the ticket lady. To most customers, this theatre, situated in a historical stone building, is anything but a dark viewing spot. It is a place where people can discuss their everyday lives, the disappearing film culture, and the history of Hollywood classics, indefinitely.
Omar Al Abdul Razzak’s film owes a lot to the Nordic style of filmmaking. The camera remains in one spot regardless of where the conversation takes place. The arranged, restricted space turn the situations into live paintings, and the broken colour palette draws the passing of time almost to a halt.
When Rafael’s stepping out of the safety of the theatre into the outer world of furniture and wholesale stores is like a trip to another time and place. How many entrepreneurs these days buy thank-you ties to all of their customers? And do any small business owners spend days deciding the colour of the chairs and the walls on the patio?
From the beginning until the end, the film prepares us for one of the final renunciations. The theatre remains active but it is time for Luisa to retire. The conversation underneath the lobby staircase quiets down, as the new ticket seller is more interested in her smart phone than the meaning of Kubric’s films to the modern man’s train of thought.
Text: Johanna Siik / Translation: Anniina Hautakoski
Language: Spanish
Subtitles: English
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- Director: Omar Al Abdul Razzak
- Country: Spain
- Year: 2014
- Length: 73 min
- Age limit: K7
- Format: DCP
- Cinematography: Mikel Saenz de Santamaria
- Editing: Carlos Blas
- Audio: Emilio Garcia Rivas, Sergio Gonzales
- Production: Mayi Gutierrez Cobo / Tourmalet Films
Showtimes:
- Kinopalatsi 7: Tuesday 27.1. at 19:00
- Orion: Friday 30.1. at 21:00