Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
Lumsdal
Good , But It Is Overrated By Some
Brendon Jones
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
rooprect
The title of my review (if IMDb permits) is taken from a quote by Salvador Dali in 1969 regarding rumors of a Dali-Lorca affair. The full quote, epitomizing Dali's unbridled humor and arrogance is as follows:"He was homosexual, as everyone knows, and madly in love with me. He tried to screw me twice... I was extremely annoyed, because I wasn't homosexual, and I wasn't interested in giving in. Besides, it hurts. So nothing came of it. But I felt awfully flattered vis-à-vis the prestige. Deep down I felt that he was a great poet and that I owe him a tiny bit of the Divine Dali's a(..)hole."And with that, let's now talk about the movie.Although vividly denied by Dali, speculation of a romance between Dali & Lorca is the story of "Little Ashes". This is important to note up front, because if you're looking for a film that delves into the passion & inspiration behind Dali's art, Lorca's poetry and Buñuel's films, you'll be disappointed. This is mostly a straightforward love story with only a few substantial references to the 3 young men's creations (Lorca recites 2 poems, Dali displays 1 painting, and we get no more than 5 sec of Buñuel's film references, including the infamous slashed eyeball scene from "Un Chien Andalou").What makes this film separate from any other generic forbidden love story is the interesting portrayal of the characters. Whether historically accurate or not, their personalities jump out of the screen at you, particularly Dali played by Rob Pattinson a.k.a. the Twilight studmuffin. Pattinson's Dali is decidedly NOT a studmuffin but instead a very awkward, dorky kid which instantly reminded me of some of Johnny Depp's early roles ("Benny & Joon", "Edward Scissorhands", "Don Juan Demarco"). But fused with his dorkiness is an overbearing arrogance which comes to the surface more frequently as the film progresses."Little Ashes", however, is not about Dali and certainly not about Buñuel (who is really a minor character) but is mostly from Lorca's perspective. In that respect, it's fitting that the affair (which never happened, according to Dali) would be exaggerated and poetic. If you noticed in the Dali statement I quoted, he did admit that Lorca was "madly in love" with him, and that is what the film portrays in a very poetic and sentimental way.Although I was initially disappointed because I wanted to see more of Dali's art & creativity, I liked the forbidden, one-sided love story because it was well done and made good use of recognizable characters & events in history. Thus you could say I liked it in the end (uh, which is more than we can say for Dali. Heh heh).
avalgal
I stumbled across Little Ashes quite by accident. I was looking for some background material on one of the actors in the film and found this gem. I knew the works of Federico Garcia-Lorca and Salvador Dali but I didn't know about their agonizing love for one another.I am not a movie critic, (thank God) I am, well I don't know what I am, but certainly not a critic. So when I see a film, I see it through the eyes of the artists. When I am moved by a film, I want to share.So this is me sharing.Little Ashes is a beautiful film. Everyone of us can relate to this story because we all struggle with our feelings, worry about what others think of us and are, at times, afraid to take risks. But the bottom line is; we all love and we all need to be loved, regardless...Little Ashes is written with sensitivity and honesty, which is what makes this film so endearing. The actors performances are exceptional, especially because they are all so young, yet bring a feeling of having lived a lifetime. I applaud everyone whose heart went into this film and I highly recommend it for your DVD library.Shelli Carlisle, Living Life...Boomer Style Magazine
PollyP99
I have to admit that it took a while for me to get around to renting this on DVD partially because of the subject matter (out in left field for me) and partially due to the mixed reviews. Went into it expecting at best mixed feelings about it but "Brilliant" was the first word to mind as the end credits rolled. It's a complex and, at times, slightly confusing character study (sort of like Dali himself). The movie focuses mostly on the personalities and how they affect each other rather than on their art. I didn't really know anything about Dali, Lorca, and Bunuel before but had to google and learn more about them after viewing this movie. Definitely peaks your interest into some very complex personalities and their artistic endeavours. Very well acted all around, especially given the challenging nature of these characters and relationships. Robert Pattinson yet again proves his ability to make you forget the actor and see the character. His portrayal of Dali's metamorphosis from shy, awkward art student to flamboyant character is brilliant and courageous. Not a "safe" role and he puts himself out there heart, mind and soul. Amazingly well done for such a young actor! True talent. Javier Beltran (Lorca), Matthew McNulty (Bunuel), and Marina Gatell (Magdelena) are also excellent.
lloydkat
I watched "Little Ashes" last night. I have to admit I watched it mainly because Rob Pattinson is in it, so I was curious. I was prepared to not like it, having read some of the critics' negative reviews. But it was surprisingly good, very interesting and very moving. I don't know how historically accurate it is, but I felt like I learned something from watching it. All the actors were wonderful, and Rob did a great job of portraying Dali and all his eccentricities. Rob claims he never knows what he's doing when he's acting, but I think viewers, whether or not they're Pattinson fans, would be impressed with his acting ability based on this movie. If you've never seen him in anything except the Twilight movies, you'd be pleasantly surprised here. I'd recommend it to his adult fans and non-fans, as well.
