You know this film is going to be heavy when the opening scene shows the brutal death of a man, his son, and a blindfolded horse at the hands of a cloaked man, who leads their carriage off a cliff.
An interpretation of the effects of politics and war on the Spanish people immediately
following the Spanish Civil War, Agusti Villaronga’s Black Bread (Pan Negre), is bound
to leave you with a feeling of exasperated solicitude.
Based on the combination of two novels, the film focuses on a ten-year-old, Andreu (Francesc Colomer), who is caught in the middle of a web of lies formed by his family in order to protect them from the ruthless government.
Andreu’s father, Farriol (Roger Casamajor), is accused of a murder, although it becomes
clear that the only motive the police have for this accusation is Farriol’s
history of protesting against the new government and promoting his liberal political
views.
As Andreu attempts to exonerate his father, he finds out much more than he bargained for, causing him to lose sight of his innocence and sense of family.
“This film is extremely complex in the sense that we tried not to make it so black and
white,” said producer Isona Passola at a Q&A session after the screening. “Good people in this film are a little bit bad and bad people are a little bit good.”
Winner of nine Goya Awards and a Academy Award Best Foreign Film contender, Black Bread (Pan Negre), is an evocative film filled with a great deal of symbolism, but lacking substantial character development, for days causing you to ponder unlimited possibilities.
BLACK BREAD (PAN NEGRE)—directed by Agusti Villaronga—Starring Francesc Colomer, Marina Comas, and Nora Navas—108 minutes
