Emma Suárez, Sergi López, and Manolo Solo in 'Order' , the second tale.
In ‘7 Reasons to Run Away’ (7 Razones para Huir), the stories are adapted from Esteve Soler’s own plays. Some critics have drawn parallels with Damián Szifrón’s ‘Wild Tales’ but I feel they are way off the mark. This compilation is closer to a string of some very black comedy films to come out of Spain in recent years, namely Hèctor Hernández Vicens’ wonderful ‘The Corpse of Anna Fritz’ (2015) that plays with the taboo ideas of necrophilia with hilarious results and ‘La Cueva’ by Alfredo Montero that took the concept of cannibalism to an extreme.
Whereas ‘Wild Tales’ are stories of revenge fantasies, these stand-alone stories mock and taunt the viewer with surrealistic tales of the absurd. I found them to be delightfully politically incorrect, very funny and the characterizations of the individuals to be acutely observed, so that the film is laden with comments about social mores. We have all met these people, they are around us every day… as they say… they walk among us!
The political elements are not so much ‘in your face’ as to affect the enjoyment of the funny situations that emerge, and how people deal with them. The directors were fortunate to have an excellent cast to rely on, from Rosa Cadafalch and Francesc Orella in the first tale ‘Solidarity’, that immediately sets the tone, to quality performances from Emma Suárez, Manolo Solo, Sergi López, Agara Rica, Lola Dueñas, Aina Clitet, Borja Espinosa, Nuria Gago and the brilliant as always David Verdaguer.
With actors of this calibre, a long silence can express volumes so that these marvellously eccentric stories can hold their own in contemporary environments, even becoming believable.
There are shocking elements, very uncomfortable situations, to laugh- out- loud moments, but for aficionados of horror and cult movies, this is a wonderful film to watch. We have a family, a tenant, a wedding, a business man and distraught neighbours, all converging in these tales that graphically illustrate aspects of our dysfunctional society. Plenty of reasons to run away it seems!
In ‘Order’, a man is so frantic that he cannot resolve the question of what follows after the number 6, that he calls on Apartment N°6 at 2 am in the morning for help, to find they are also equally afflicted! In ‘Solidarity’ an elderly couple are confronted with their own limitations when the child from an African famine advert on TV tumbles onto their sitting room carpet. These wonderfully absurd situations develop into a series of funny and disturbing results, keeping the tension, humour and horror at a high level to the end.
7 REASONS TO RUN AWAY will be screened at the Raindance Film Festival at the Vue Piccadilly.
Dir Esteve soler/ Gerard quinto / David Torras
Writer Esteve Soler
Production Martin Samper/ Aritz Cirbián
DOP Gabriel Campo AEC
Editor Anaïs Urraca
Music Julie Reier
Prod design Cristina borobia
Sound designer Laia Casanovas
Filmed at Manresa, Terrassa & Berga la Tardor, Catalunia Spain.
