A Perfect Day is a 2015 Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Fernando León de Aranoa. It is based on the novel Dejarse Llover by Paula Farias.[3] It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and is the director's English-language debut.[4][5]
| A Perfect Day | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Fernando León de Aranoa |
| Written by | Fernando León de Aranoa |
| Based on | Dejarse Llover by Paula Farias |
| Produced by | Fernando Leon de Aranoa Jaume Roures[1] |
| Starring | Olga Kurylenko Benicio del Toro Tim Robbins Mélanie Thierry |
| Cinematography | Alex Catalán |
| Edited by | Nacho Ruiz Capillas |
| Music by | Arnau Bataller |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures[2] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Languages | English Croatian Spanish Romanian |
Plot
editVeteran humanitarian aid workers Mambrú (Benicio del Toro) and B (Tim Robbins), and newcomer Sophie (Mélanie Thierry), accompanied by their interpreter Damir (Fedja Štukan), try to retrieve a corpse from a well somewhere in former Yugoslavia at the end of the Yugoslav Wars.
Their first attempt fails because their rope tears, so they set out to find another rope, which turns out to be more difficult than expected. They are joined in their endeavor by Mambrú's former lover Katya (Olga Kurylenko) and a young local boy named Nikola.
Cast
edit- Benicio del Toro as Mambrú
- Tim Robbins as B
- Olga Kurylenko as Katya
- Mélanie Thierry as Sophie
- Fedja Štukan as Damir
- Eldar Residovic as Nikola
- Sergi López as Goyo
Reception
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 71% approval rating, based on 58 reviews. The consensus reads: "Aid workers get their due in A Perfect Day, which is just different and well-acted enough to overcome its logy pace and narrative clichés".[6] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 59 out of 100, sampled from 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]
Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said that, the film is "a serviceable, watchable movie".[8] Henry Barnes of The Guardian compared the film's humor to that of M*A*S*H,[9] while Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly criticized female characters of Mélanie Thierry and Olga Kurylenko for being "disappointingly thin".[10]
Awards and nominations
edit| Awards | Category | Nominated | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| III Premios Feroz[11] | Best Comedy | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Fernando León de Aranoa | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay | Fernando León de Aranoa, with the collaboration of Diego Farias | Nominated | |
| Best Film Poster | Nominated | ||
| 30th Goya Awards[12] | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Fernando León de Aranoa | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Fernando León de Aranoa | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Tim Robbins | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Alex Catalán | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | Nacho Ruiz Capillas | Nominated | |
| Best Production Supervision | Luis Fernández Lago | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Fernando García | Nominated | |
Benicio del Toro was presented with the honorary award, Heart of Sarajevo, at the Sarajevo Film Festival.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Chang, Justin (16 May 2015). "Cannes Film Review: 'A Perfect Day'". Variety.
- ^ "A Perfect Day". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Hopewell, John (12 March 2014). "Del Toro, Robbins, Kurylenko Set for Fernando Leon de Aranoa's 'A Perfect Day'". Variety.
- ^ "The Directors' Fortnight 2015 selection!". Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ Chang, Justin (21 April 2015). "Cannes: Directors' Fortnight Unveils 2015 Lineup". Variety.
- ^ "A Perfect Day (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ "A Perfect Day". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (14 January 2016). "Review: 'A Perfect Day' About Aid Workers in the Balkans". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Barnes, Henry (16 May 2015). "A Perfect Day review - Del Toro and Robbins in imperfect aid work adventure". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Nashawaty, Chris (15 January 2016). "'A Perfect Day': EW review". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Pérez Martín, María (9 December 2015). "'La novia' lidera las nominaciones a los Premios Feroz 2016". LosExtras (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Rolfe, Pamela (14 December 2015). "'The Bride' Leads Spain's Goya Award Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (24 July 2015). "Benicio Del Toro to Receive Heart of Sarajevo Award at Film Festival in Bosnia". Variety.