Valladolid vibes: Day 8 in a nutshell
Day eight at Seminci felt like a mixtape: brutal opening tracks, a hushed acoustic number, some flashy production tricks and a closing song that doesn’t quite know how to end. I’m on my fourth year covering the festival for El Séptimo Arte, and this batch of films kept swinging between impressively raw and maddeningly obvious.
Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? — A powerful first act, a problematic finish
Shinya Tsukamoto’s film is weirdly effective at first: a confessional, first-person trip anchored by an ex-marine’s wartime memories and odd, unforgettable conversations (yes, Geoffrey Rush shows up). The opening stretches land hard — gritty, visceral and emotionally punchy. Then the movie pivots into a heavy-handed moral sermon. That last stretch turns clever anger into a clumsy “savior” narrative that undercuts the earlier honesty and feels exploitative rather than illuminating.
Verdict: Brilliant start, stumble at the finish. Worth watching for the early shock value, but prepare for a baffling tonal backflip.
A Bit of Light — Quiet, honest, maybe a little too gentle
Ali Asgari’s film follows an Iranian doctor through the day he decides to tell his family the worst news. The whole movie lives in that single, delicate day: intimate, restrained and quietly humane. It’s stripped-down and sincere — no fireworks, just careful observation. That simplicity is both its strength and its weakness: you leave admiring the craft, but it doesn’t necessarily haunt you.
Verdict: Tender and respectful. Leaves a soft footprint rather than an aftershock.
El confidente — All style, very little soul
Daniel Calparsoro delivers something slick and nicely shot, but the whole thing feels like it was constructed from a template. The plot moves because it’s supposed to, not because you care. Characters repeat the motions and the emotional impact never arrives. If you wanted to sum it up: handsome on the surface, empty underneath — with Javier Gutiérrez’s cigarette breaks stealing more personality than the script does.
Verdict: Polished but hollow — like a perfectly wrapped gift box with nothing inside.
Man Overboard — Ambitious buffet, uneven serving
Gael García Bernal aims for a satirical fable juggling a bunch of ideas, and sometimes the juggling is mesmerizing. More often, though, it feels overstuffed and unsteady, as if the film can’t decide which story deserves the spotlight. The tone bounces around, interest spikes and drops, and it wraps up with an epilogue that tries to be wistful but lands a little awkwardly.
Verdict: Lots to admire, not enough glue. Entertaining in chunks, frustrating as a whole.
Where we go from here
That’s the shortlist from Day 8. Some films hit like gut punches, others whisper their intentions and leave you thinking, “Nicely done,” without the fireworks. I’ll keep digging through the rest of Seminci — more takes coming in the next dispatch.
By Juan Pairet Iglesias (@Wanchopex)