Black Beach is a 2020 Spanish thriller drama film directed by Esteban Crespo which stars Raúl Arévalo alongside Candela Peña.
| Black Beach | |
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| Directed by | Esteban Crespo |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Ángel Amorós |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Arturo Cardelús |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | eOne Films Spain |
Release dates |
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| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Plot
editFeaturing the backdrop of a large-scale political and corporate corruption scheme,[1] Carlos, an unscrupulous executive (and former development cooperator), is sent as a mediator to the kidnapping of an oil company engineer in an African country where he worked in the past, bringing his personal and business interests to collide.[2]
Cast
edit- Raúl Arévalo as Carlos[1]
- Candela Peña as Ale[1]
- Lidia Nené[3]
- Claude Musungayi[3]
- Emilio Buale[3]
- Melina Matthews as Susan[1]
- Paulina García[3]
- Aída Wellgaye as Ada[1]
- Jimmy Castro as Calixto[1]
- Julius Cotter as Ronald U.N. Envoy
- Luka Peroš[4]
Production
editThe screenplay was penned by Esteban Crespo and David Moreno.[5] The film is a Pris&Batty Films, Nephilim and BlackBeach AIE production, with the participation of RTVE and Netflix,[6] reportedly boasting a budget of around €7 million.[5] Shooting locations included Ghana, the Canary Islands, Brussels, Toledo, and Madrid.[5]
Release
editThe film premiered at the 23rd Málaga Film Festival's main competition on 23 August 2020.[3] Distributed by eOne Films Spain,[6] the film was theatrically released in Spain on 25 September 2020.
Reception
editRaquel Hernández Luján of HobbyConsolas gave the "ambitious and well structured" film 70 out of 100 points ("good"), highlighting an "enviable" production design while noting that more excitement is missing, with the more compelling story being the subplot pertaining Peña's supporting character.[5]
Quim Casas of El Periódico de Catalunya gave Black Beach 2 out of 5 stars, writing that it "turns out to be an unbalanced film", remaining in no man's land, "solvent at times. Insufficient at other times", with the "things that happen and are said in the African country seeming to come straight out of a colonial comic book".[7]
Sergio F. Pinilla of Cinemanía rated the film 4½ out of 5 stars, concluding as a veredict that "Arevalo's odyssey is entertaining, moving and thought-provoking".[4]
Marta Medina of El Confidencial deemed the "confusing" film to feature "many possibilities and little sincerity", also considering that "there is something too contrived in both the narration and the mise-en-scène, which prevents the story from flowing naturally".[1]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35th Goya Awards | Best Production Supervision | Carmen Martínez Muñoz | Nominated | [8] |
| Best Cinematography | Ángel Amorós | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Fernando Franco, Miguel Doblado | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Montse Sanz | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Coque Lahera, Nacho Royo-Villanova, Sergio Testón | Nominated | |||
| Best Special Effects | Raúl Romanillos, Jean-Louis Billard | Nominated |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Medina, Marta (25 September 2020). "'Black Beach': un español contra las dictaduras africanas". El Confidencial.
- ^ Silvestre, Juan (30 August 2020). "Cartel, en primicia, del drama de Raúl Arévalo y Candela Peña". Fotogramas.
- ^ a b c d e Fernández, Cristina (23 August 2020). "Esteban Crespo presenta 'Black Beach', un thriller sobre corrupción, traiciones y poder rodado en África". Málaga Hoy.
- ^ a b Pinilla, Sergio G. (25 September 2020). "Black Beach". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ a b c d Hernández Luján, Raquel (23 September 2020). "Crítica de Black Beach, un ambicioso drama con Raúl Arévalo y Candela Peña". HobbyConsolas.
- ^ a b "'Black Beach' – estreno en cines 25 de septiembre". 21 September 2020.
- ^ Casas, Quim (24 September 2020). "'Black beach': un estilo de cine indeterminado". El Periódico de Catalunya.
- ^ "Black Beach". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 19 July 2022.