This is the story of a recent time in Spain. The time of Francisco Franco's dictatorship. A time in which ultra-catholicism, oppression, and poverty marked the day by day of this country. This is a story about "the two Spains".
1950's. Pablito doesn't care that much about politics, he's too young and he can't understand some things. His father (Álex Angulo at his best) is a good man, he loves him so much; and he does not understand why some people makes fun of him, why do they despise him. He doesn't know that his father is a man that thinks different, in a time in which "thinking different" was the biggest of the crimes. His father is what some people call "an idealistic"; which it means that he doesn't agree at all with the state of things in his country.
Ramón Barea (mostly known in Spain as an actor) shows us the habits and the costumes of 50's Spanish society. He perfectly draws the different personalities or the different kind of persons in that time: those who agreed with Franco's tyranny, those who won't... He recreates the oppressive ambient on that society, the fear of the people, the huge difference of classes. He makes all that in a simple way, following the best line: the straight one. He sure is a devoted of Italian neorealism, and of Spanish directors such as Fernán-Gómez.
Some will say this is a movie that's been made a thousand times. And is true. There's nothing that original nor new about El Coche De Pedales; but still I think this kind of movies are necessary, especially for the new generations (though I find so difficult that an 21th century young Spaniard buy a ticket to watch this movie). There will never be enough Franco's dictatorship denunciation movies.
My rate: 7/10
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