A Perfect Day

A Perfect Day

2016 ""
A Perfect Day
A Perfect Day

A Perfect Day

6.8 | 1h46m | R | en | Drama

Somewhere in the Balkans, 1995. A team of aid workers must solve an apparently simple problem in an almost completely pacified territory that has been devastated by a cruel war, but some of the local inhabitants, the retreating combatants, the UN forces, many cows and an absurd bureaucracy will not cease to put obstacles in their way.

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6.8 | 1h46m | R | en | Drama , Comedy , War | More Info
Released: January. 15,2016 | Released Producted By: Reposado Producciones , TVE Country: Spain Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

Somewhere in the Balkans, 1995. A team of aid workers must solve an apparently simple problem in an almost completely pacified territory that has been devastated by a cruel war, but some of the local inhabitants, the retreating combatants, the UN forces, many cows and an absurd bureaucracy will not cease to put obstacles in their way.

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Cast

Benicio del Toro , Tim Robbins , Olga Kurylenko

Director

César Macarrón

Producted By

Reposado Producciones , TVE

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Reviews

Imran Ahmed Anyone with interest in either the Yugoslav civil war or aid work in conflict zones will find the movie insightful. The movie brings together a diverse set of characters interacting during the course of one day. These individuals are not only aid workers, including two women - one a newbie and another straight from the city and 'civilization' struggling to adapt to the realities found in a war zone - but also two locals, i.e. a local child and an interpreter. The plot revolves around aid workers attempting to restore water supply to local villagers from a contaminated well. What appears to be a simple exercise becomes at times dangerous and at other times frustrating due to the behavior of bureaucratic 'do-gooders' UN peacekeepers. Many may dispute my '8' rating given that at times the movie moves slowly as there is little action . However, the film is peppered with humor - lightening the heavy nature of the subject - and makes a strong political statement. Those factors pushed the rating up.
landapa This is the beauty of it. For a long time I have given up on American entertainment. Living in the US one gets constantly inundated with mindless entertainment. European movies are in general slow. They give much more time to develop the characters and thus allow the story to sink in. A Perfect Day is a great movie that shows the cultural differences and people from different countries tries working together for a common goal. It also shows the ineptness of the UN which is true all over the world.where ever they are asked to intervene. Great movie.
krocheav With a perfectly dramatic opening and stylish graphics this looked very promising - then the foolish dialogue for some overly simplistic characters begins to filter through, eroding the impact somewhat. I might imagine the original novel by Paula Farias, based on her experiences as an Aid worker in the field of war, could offer a better treatment of this important topic. But, Spanish screenwriter/director Fernando Leon de Aranoa, tends to choose a somewhat clichéd juvenile approach to the otherwise thoughtful, often nasty, situations. Some scenes work well while others languish in overstretched simplicity. If any solid observances come out of this work it's the telling ineptness of the U.N. ('United Nothing' as these writers aptly label it). The cast is attractive and the cinematography is of the higher calibre. Out of several selections of 'era' music, the most moving is a curious version of Pete Seeger's 60's anti-war ballad "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" sung by Marlene Dietrich. This imparts a stronger feel for the subject - lending a better impression to the overall movie than it fully deserves. Worth a look for its depiction of the cruel aspects of modern, international political warfare and the crushing impact it has on those living amongst the carnage. It's set towards the end of the Yugoslav wars and as we are being told here, rope is a scarce commodity, as it's mostly used to hang people. Not a great deal of fun in this so-called 'comedy'.
CineMuseFilms It is ironic that war is the biggest industry on the planet. Its wider industrial domain includes warrior politicians, arms manufacturers and military forces. Less acknowledged, it also includes those who perpetually seek amelioration of its consequences like the United Nations and various humanitarian aid agencies. All of those groups regularly star in movies but aid workers get little cinematic glory. It is in this wider context that the Spanish-directed film A Perfect Day (2015) is an unusual and original addition to black comedy war dramas, least of all because the way it avoids typical war movie scenarios and narratives. It covers 'one perfect day' during the military wind-down in the Balkans crisis of mid 1990s and is a refreshing, entertaining and informative insight into the role of aid workers when the big guns go quiet.The story begins and ends with the image of a big fat corpse in a well, dumped deliberately to pollute village water. In between we see the frantic efforts by a small group of aid workers to find scarce rope that can haul him out, and rope becomes a metaphor to join several unconnected incidents that make up the narrative. There Is no sound of bombs or signs of fighting; we only see a beautiful country full of silent monuments to the devastation of war. Bombed-out ghosts of villages, homeless children, poverty and toxic hygiene are some of an aid worker's challenges and black humour is the universal panacea for coping. On this day, the group must deal with the risk of hidden road mines in cattle carcasses, villager distrust and military animosity towards interfering aid workers, and a United Nations bureaucracy that shows little sensitivity towards dispossessed victims of war. Oh, and find a soccer ball for a young boy.As with all character-driven films, this one is less about what happens and more about what it is like to be there. The characters built with re-purposed M.A.S.H. traits that are likable, funny and plausible, and the acting is top-class. There are no glory hounds in the group and each has their own coping strengths and emotional foibles. The director orchestrates the characters and sub- stories with perfect tempo to produce a story that is totally engaging if not gripping. You might wonder how a group of loosely disciplined and unaccountable workers can roam freely across a war-ravaged country, or whether the final scene is actually a political statement about their true value. If so, the film has made its mark.