DarkBlueAlmostBlack (2007)

It's a well-acted soap with one too many plot lines, tied together by genteel audio-visual sutures and supported by the brittle metaphor of its title.

This slice of quirky life story about a classy, unattainable suit in a store window, is one classy movie as well, ennobling its host of eccentric and tragic, yet determined and struggling, vividly realized characters.

Engaging, bittersweet and frequently laugh out loud funny, this is an enjoyable Spanish drama with strong performances and a subtle but effective message.

What could have seemed insufferably self-pitying becomes strangely moving instead -- a sign of a filmmaker placing his absolute trust in their material and coming up all the stronger for it.

There's an impressive, careful complexity to DarkBlueAlmostBlack that belies the inexperience of first-time director Daniel Sánchez Arévalo.

Sanchez Arevalo is a worthwhile addition to the growing ranks of providers of solid and entertaining stories taken from life, as seen through a melodramatic prism.

A nice first effort, but still in the middle of the pack, at best.