Escribe a fxBarcelona film school Llama a fxBarcelona film school934814391

News

Events

Blog

  1. Inicio
  2. Blog
“Bittersweet Days”, Un Soplo De Aire Fresco Balear

"Bittersweet Days" - A Breath of Fresh Balearic Air

"Bittersweet Days" is the first film made in the Balearic Islands directed by a woman, the Mallorcan filmmaker Marga Melià, who makes her feature film debut with this comedy as bittersweet as the title. "Bittersweet Days" not only has this recognition, but it has also achieved something that many completely independent films aspire to: it premieres in theaters and is being well-received.

Films of this type, made with very few resources, run the risk of falling halfway between the exercise of an accomplished student and the eagerness to break and surprise at all costs, whatever it takes. The virtue of Marga Melià's debut feature film lies in achieving the almost perfect balance between the freshness of a debut film -seemingly unprejudiced- with the expected boldness of a young director, the moderation of a director who knows what she wants and who has the talent to build a device that works with a precise, measured mechanism, with several twists that engage you with the story.

Bettersweet Days

Bettersweet Days Movie

The strength of "Bettersweet Days" lies in its screenplay, a story that navigates through what many call "the 30s crisis". A crisis and a story with which it is easy to identify, whether you are going through it or have overcome it and are delving into the next one, the following one, or why not, the previous one. The naturalness of the dialogues, fresh, authentic, and often inspired, manages to minimize the obvious shortcomings of such a small production, which in other hands would not cease to be an amateur practice. Like all debut films, and especially those made with few resources, the great virtues add up to the less successful moments. From the spontaneity of Brian Tewuen's work, the actor who plays Luuk, a wandering Dutchman who arrives in Barcelona to share an apartment with Júlia and whose performance awakens tenderness and affection, to the elegant pace of the plot, the magical moments such as the recreation of one of the mythical sequences from "La Dolce Vita", to the crazy sequences like the exhibition of the bohemian artist played by Queralt Riera. Melià's direction generally stagnates in the indoor sequences in Júlia's apartment, a thirty-year-old who decides to rent a room in her flat when her boyfriend leaves to work in London and who will rethink her life after meeting Luuk. But on the other hand, the staging bursts and captures the most powerful visual moments when filming outdoors, especially throughout the part of the plot that unfolds in Mallorca. Another interesting element of the film is the selection of original songs from the soundtrack. A series of excellent tracks by national bands (Lili´s House, The Wheels, Sattelites, or Julio Arcalá), which, despite being somewhat overused at times, give the film a current and totally recognizable air of this precise moment.

A breath of fresh air comes from the Balearic Islands. We may not be able to see it in cinemas for much longer, but we hope that Marga Melià will bring new gusts of wind, along with more stories, more films, and more songs.

“Bittersweet Days” is the first film made in the Balearic Islands directed by a woman, the Mallorcan filmmaker Marga Melià, who makes her feature film debut with this comedy as bittersweet as its title. “Bittersweet Days” not only has this recognition but has also achieved something that many completely independent films aspire to: it is being released in theaters and is being well received.

Films of this kind, made with very few resources, run the risk of falling halfway between the exercise of a gifted student and the desire to break through and surprise at all costs, whatever it takes. The virtue of Marga Melià's debut film is to achieve the almost perfect balance between the freshness of a debut film—apparently uninhibited—with the expected boldness of a young filmmaker, the moderation of a filmmaker who knows what she wants and has the talent to construct a precise, deliberate mechanism with several twists that engage you in the story.

Bettersweet Days

The strength of "Bettersweet Days" lies in its script, a story that explores what many call "the 30's crisis". A crisis and a story that is easy to relate to, whether you are going through it or have overcome it and are delving into the next one, the following one, or why not, the previous one. The naturalness of the dialogues, fresh, authentic, and often inspired, manages to minimize the obvious shortcomings of such a small production, which in other hands would merely be an amateur practice. Like all debut films, and especially those made with few resources, the great virtues come together with the less successful moments. From the spontaneity of Brian Tewuen's work, the actor who plays Luuk, a wandering Dutchman who arrives in Barcelona to share a flat with Júlia and whose performance evokes tenderness and affection, to the elegant pace of the plot, the magical moments like the recreation of one of the legendary sequences from "La Dolce Vita", to the crazy scenes like the exhibition of the bohemian artist played by Queralt Riera. Melià's direction generally stagnates in the interior sequences in Júlia's apartment, a thirty-something woman who decides to rent a room in her flat when her boyfriend leaves to work in London and who will rethink her life after meeting Luuk. But on the other hand, the staging bursts with the most powerful visual moments when filming outdoors, especially in the part of the plot that unfolds in Mallorca. Another interesting element of the film is the selection of original songs from the soundtrack. A series of excellent tracks from national bands (Lili's House, The Wheels, Satellites, or Julio Arcalá), which despite the occasional overuse, give the film a current and completely recognizable air of this precise moment.

A breath of fresh air comes from the Balearic Islands. We may not be able to see it in cinemas for much longer, but we hope that Marga Melià will bring new gusts of air, with more stories, more films, and more songs.