Angela, a young mother learns her husband Fran is a dirty cop. Not only is he corrupted, but he has sired a boy with another woman, about the same time she was pregnant with Guille, her own son. To make matters worse, Angela learns her father has died three hours before she arrives in Madrid, where he has been hospitalized. Charo, her dad's lover, has come to meet her and break the news.
The dead man had owned a pool hall, which now belongs to Angela. She figures the place needs a makeover, and asks Charo to be her partner. Angela also wants to bring back the old man's friends to form a team and compete in the national pool championships, where some serious money can be earned. Her relationship with Charo is difficult, but all is solved by the end, as they bring together the team connected to the dead man, who was the driving spirit of the place.
The main attraction in watching the film was to see how Maribel Verdu (Pan's Labyrinth) and the excellent Blanca Portillo's (Volver) fared in the film. It was directed by Gracia Querejeta, who co-wrote the script. Alas, we are not as rhapsodic as the person who submitted the other commentary for the film, which went to win best screenplay at San Sebastian Film Festival.
Unfortunately one cannot trust awards given at those events because in most cases they are politically motivated, as appears to be the case here. It is a glorified melodrama with soap opera overtones thrown in, typical in some films from Spain, where the writing is not one of its stronger points. Although not a terrible film, it had the probability of being better. Ms. Verdu and Ms. Portillo do a fine job, as we expected, but the interest in the film was a hope that was not fulfilled.
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