Secrets of the Heart (Secretos Del Corazon)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: B-
Films about children that are not about selling toys are
few and far between, but they do get made occasionally. Writer/director Montxo Armendariz’s Secrets
of the Heart (1997) won awards upon its release, but has gone unnoticed
since. That’s too bad, because it is
not a bad little film, focusing on Javi (Andoni Erburu), a curious young boy
who is just discovering life.
He is well cast, as are the others in the film. This is not for young kids, but teens could
watch it with no major problems. Javi
and his older brother live in a small Spanish town in the early 1960s, living with
their Aunt, since the mother is still adjusting to the loss of her husband. This has not sat well with the boys, who
visit her, only to discover there is a new man in her life already. We also see their trials and tribulations in
a religious school, with some humor.
The performance out of the young Erburu is
remarkable. That is always central to
these kinds of films working, but he is an outstanding choice. This is especially helpful in the parts of
the film that sag, but otherwise, he and this world are utterly believable. I just wish there was a way for this film to
go farther in what it does, but maybe simplicity is the only way this film
works to begin with.
The letterboxed 1.85 X 1 picture is an old analog transfer
with analog haziness throughout, but the print source looks like its good. I want to give credit to cinematographer
Javier Aguirresarobe for keeping a consistent look that feels like this simpler
era. Even with the picture trouble, his
work is clearly good. The film is
listed as Dolby in the credits, but the Dolby Digital 2.0 sounds somewhere
between mono and stereo, but does not translate well in Pro Logic.
This DVD is void of extras and was issued a few years ago,
but I would love to know more about the cast and crew, especially what happened
to these kids more grown up. The
peacefulness and honesty of the film is the key to its success after the people
in front of and behind the camera. The
box compares it to Cinema Paradiso, Children of Heaven, and Kolya,
but My Life as a Dog and Hope and Glory also came to mind. That’s not bad company at all.
- Nicholas Sheffo
