Mensaka (1998) User Reviews (4)

Various crisscrossed melodramatic stories about youngsters in Madrid of the 90s

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 21 October 2018]

This one deals with a group of friends who form a Rock band called Septima Invasion, but they have a bad and unfortunate life . Then a powerful discographic agency offers them to sign up a multinational in exchange of turning their music into popular and catching songs . They are David : Gustavo Salmeron, who works as a sender to survive and lives with his girlfriend Bea : Laia Marull , Javi : Tristan Ulloa, and Fran : Adria Collado. As the peculiar lives of these young people are interwoven themselves, adding other roles as the drug-seller played by Guillermo Toledo or the junkie Lola Dueñas who falls for Javi. Meanwhile , upper-class Javi : Tristan Ulloa doesn't wants to work and has problems with his wealthy parents and a druggie adolescent sister . And Fran : Adria Collado has crushes on other girls and Natalia : Maria Esteve is really jealous of his betrayals . Besides, Fran is tempted by a Disco multinational to undertake a career as a commercial singer.

Based on the homonymous melodramatic novel about Madrid youngsters and their vital frustration by writer Jose Angel Mañas and script by Luis Marias , this is a melodrama formed by various interwined stories, though they have not much interest. This Mensaka has not the moralizing and anarchist charge of Historias del Kronen also written by Mañas and director Monxto Armendariz adapted in 1995 with Juan Diego Botto and Jordi Molla. Film debut of director Salvador Ruiz who delivers a particular soap opera with interesting issues , describing the youthful of the 90s and their twisted love stories. The cast is pretty good, giving nice performances with special mention for Tristan Ulloa as the desperate but honorable Javier who seeks redemption helping a druggie magnificently performed by Lola Dueñas and Laia Marull as the fiancee who deceives her boyfriend with a discographic producer : Gines Garcia Millan. Support cast is frankly fine, such as Alejo Sauras, Guillermo Toledo, Myriam de Maeztu, Elvira Lindo, Tony Zenet, Silvia Casanova, Janfri Topera and many others .

It has an attractive musical score by Pascal Gaigne and accompaining Rock and popular soundtrack from notorious bands and singers as Rosendo Mercado, Enrique Urquijo , Andres Calamaro, Los Rodriguez, Los Secretos , Bloqueo, Septima invasion. Colorful and atmospheric cinematography by Teo Delgado who has photographed a number of successes : Pantaleon y las visitadoras, Juego de luna, Castillos de carton, Zapping, Flores de otro mundo, Tension sexual no resuelta , Bajo la piel . The motion picture was decently directed by Salvador Garcia Ruiz. It won Goya awards : best adapted script and nominee best new actor :Tristan Ulloa. Turia Award : Best first work to Salvador Ruiz. Toulouse CineEspaña Festival was winner : best actor to Tristan Ulloa, Lola Dueñas. And Spanish Union Actors 1999 winner to Lola Dueñas. Salvador Ruiz is a good writer and director as cinema as TV. As he has directed nice films as Castillos de Carton, El otro barrio with Willy Toledo and Voces de la noche with Tristan Ulloa and Laia Marull. In television he directed episodes of known series as La Catedral del Mar, Carlos I emperor, Isabel , Gran Reserva, 14 Abril La Republica, La Señora , Hospital Central, and Lobos

The boys in the band

[jotix100 · 5/10 · 3 January 2011]

"Mensaka", a 1998 film from Spain, was shown recently on a cable channel. We decided to take a chance that unfortunately did not pay off the way we thought in spite of some of the people that worked on the project.

Basically it is the story of a group of friends involved in a musical band. They appear to be twenty-somethings that are trying to get recognition, while not conforming to what is expected of them. The film tries to give an impression what this aimless young people must go through in a society that has not been kind to them.

There are some good appearances in the large cast, some of whom, like Tristan Ulloa and Lola Duenas, have gone to bigger, and better things. The direction of Salvador Garcia Ruiz tries to give a balanced account of the way young people are coping with their lives.

Happiness Can Be Hard to Find.

[nbott · 3 October 2002]

This film is a somewhat disjointed affair for those of us who like our movies to be rational and to have either a happy or sad ending. This film is very direct and not very nice to the audience in some ways. But it is believable. As in real life, people don't have either happy or sad endings, they just have endings. At first, I found the film's characters to be simply one screwed up person after another floundering about and going nowhere. Finally, upon reflection, I found the film to be a study of what is truthful about a culture based on drugs and rock and roll. There are a lot of endings in this lifestyle that are what they are, neither sad or happy, just there. The film does not always explain why these people are where they are. I believe we are to assume they are where they are due to the lifestyle with its inherent flaws.

The film is quite creative in its editing from scene to scene. The acting is all first rate. You really, after a few minutes, really do care about these people even though they all appear to be messed up in one way or the other. The film left me somewhat resigned to the truth that people can not be changed, that we all have to face the results of the decisions we make.

So real

[johnny99-4-2 · 26 March 1999]

For me that is the best film this year in Spain. The actors are great, and this history is so real, talking about the young people that dont have a job, money, they have to live with their parents, there are problems in the couple, is so real, and the music goes so fine.