Click to read the article
El Bola (2000)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted: 11
Fresh: 10
Rotten:1
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Theatrical Release:Dec 13, 2002 Limited
Synopsis: Pablo (El Bola) is a 12-year old boy raised in a violent and unforgiving environment. Embarrassed by his family life, he retreats from his classmates, engaging them only through a dangerous game.... Pablo (El Bola) is a 12-year old boy raised in a violent and unforgiving environment. Embarrassed by his family life, he retreats from his classmates, engaging them only through a dangerous game. The arrival of a new boy at school, from whom he learns a new definition of friendship, leads to the discovery of a family where communication and love prevail over domination and violence. The film poignantly parallels the lives of a caring father unable to connect with his willful son, and that of distant Pablo (El Bola) and his abusive father who is incapable of giving him the love he needs, replacing it with something far more sinister. One imprints his son in an improbably gentle manner with a tattoo stylus, the other brutally with his fists. Told through both the children’s and adults' points of view, Achero Manas's El Bola is a stirring narrative that lodges in the memory. -- © Film Movement [More]
Starring: Alberto Jimenez
Starring: Alberto Jimenez
Director: Archero Mañas
Director: Archero Mañas
Studio: Film Movement
Get This Movie
Reviews for El Bola
Deliberately and skillfully uses ambiguity to suggest possibilities which imbue the theme with added depth and resonance.
A simple, but gritty and well-acted ensemble drama that encompasses a potent metaphor for a country still dealing with its fascist past.
Though uniformly well acted, especially by young Ballesta and Galan (a first-time actor), writer/director Achero Manas's film is schematic and obvious.
Mana gives us compelling, damaged characters who we want to help -- or hurt.
Although largely a heavy-handed indictment of parental failings ... the film retains ambiguities that make it well worth watching
At once subtle and visceral, the film never succumbs to the trap of the maudlin or tearful, offering instead with its unflinching gaze a measure of faith in the future.
Not employing gimmicks or tipping off the nightmare to be faced,'El Bola' draws us in.
As blunt as it is in depicting child abuse, El Bola is a movie steeped in an ambiguity that lends its conflicts a symbolic resonance.
Related Forums for El Bola
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
79% 79% |
Gran Torino |
30% 30% |
12 Rounds |
23% 23% |
Confessions of a Shopa… |
|
The Code |
39% 39% |
Inkheart |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
22% 22% |
Push |
12% 12% |
The Unborn |
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.

The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.

TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.

BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.



Top Critic


