korrontean This must be one of the most overrated Spanish films in history. Its lack of subtlety and complexity and its total political correction make it really childish, with only good/bad characters. The world is just not like this, and good movies show complex characters with opposite impulses, dilemmas, etc. However, what I HATE most about this film is Bola's friend's father. The director tries to teach us a good lesson: tattoo artists with shaved heads are not always bad guys, in fact they can be better than the average looking dad (wow, this is like... philosophy, or something). Thank you, Achero. I'll propose you for the Nobel prize of literature.

nycritic Domestic violence has never been an easy topic to get into when telling a story due to the fact it's just too sensitive an issue to see depicted on screen and there's the danger of exploitation. Achero Mañas 2000 film EL BOLA, one of the big winners of the 2001 Goya Awards, explores the issue of child abuse through the culture's very machismo -- one that perpetuates that it's okay if the father imposes his will over his family, because he's the breadwinner and he's always right. It's a system that has the essence of repetition and even today continues to live on. (A similar issue would be explored on a very veiled level in 2002's VALENTIN, and more explicitly in 2003's TE DOY MIS OJOS.) In this story, Pedro, a.k.a. El Bola due to a small malleable pellet he constantly holds, is a lonely boy going to school who has few to no friends. At home, his father Mariano is everything but loving: he's a tyrant who forces his will and his anger almost constantly at Pedro who lives in total fear of him. However, a new boy in school, Alberto, prompts Pedro to come out of his shell and both become friends. Pedro becomes accepted in Alberto's family, particularly Jose, Alberto's father, who treats his son as a friend more than a son. On the other hand, Mariano doesn't see this friendship as something his son needs and progressively tries to keep him away from them until Alberto becomes aware of some telling marks on Pedro's body and takes matter into his own hands, having Jose alert the help of a social worker. However, things aren't that easy and her very intervention could backfire. That is, until one night, the violence in Pedro's home escalates to a point where actions must be taken.Achero Mañas has created a movie that should be seen no matter how difficult some of the scenes between Pedro and Mariano may be. The only way to understand the horror of family abuse in the name of obedience and respect -- Mariano sees Jose as a pervert because he makes his living as a tattoo artist. Indeed, many of our parents would have reacted the same way if our friend's parents lived a "different" lifestyle. In many ways, Mariano and Jose represent Spain's past and future -- Mariano being the extreme conservative, Jose being the man of the future. Both actors are well cast in their roles. Manuel Moron has the physicality that suggests a brutal man, while Alberto Gimenez, despite his skinhead appearance which suggests counterculture, is a gentle man who unless pushed does not show aggression.It's because of these two vastly different fathers that their son's personalities come through the way they do: Alberto is quietly confident. He has no issues other than the ones appropriate for his age -- typical growing pains. Pedro, however, has been raised in a house full of violence. His mother can't do much, though she would like to. It's not hard to see that in his closing confession, Pedro pours his feelings out for the very first time, and it's a barrage of emotion: the problem is, it's all negative, sheer hatred, all directed towards this man who has beat him for no other reason that he was an easy target. EL BOLA offers even at this most extreme moment a semblance of hope -- it does seem Pedro is under some form of therapy -- so in this way, Pedro's final outburst is not just his, but goes for every boy and girl who suffered under the hurtful hand of a parent. In this way, EL BOLA has a powerful message and conveys it beautifully.

Natalie An excellent film which exposes a very real problem via a neo-realistic film style. This film achieves something the postmodern style could never have achieved with all the spectacular colors, effects, sounds in the world. This film looks abuse in the face and shows that there is a way out, if there's someone there to help. This is a must-see film, but if your Spanish isn't doing so hot, the English subtitles will do very little in helping to understand the film. If you can, don't use the subtitles at all, as they'll more likely distract than help (at least that was the case for me). Anyway, check out this extremely moving and beautifully real film.

matthewfstark One of the criticisms lodged against this moving film is that towards its end the actions of the adults are not believable. I actually found it very believable. The best friends' parents are advised that if they do not either return the abused boy to his parents or go to the police they could be accused of kidnapping, or even worse, the father could say that when his son left the house he was fine, and it was they who inflicted the marks on his childs' body. shocking and unjust as this may seem, the reality is - and, as a victim of child abuse, i feel quite qualified in saying this - that even though the law states otherwise, children are often powerless to fight abuse. For instance: once when I was beaten by my stepfather I ran to the police station and told them what had happened. The police called my parents, asked them if what I was saying was true, my staepdad told them i was making up stories, that i had fallen off my bike and was lying because I was angry about having to do my homework. The police took me home and I was promptly beaten for almost getting him into trouble. So... in Pellet, the best friends fathers fears of legal repercussions for intervening were actually, in my opinion, justified.