jm10701 The problem with this movie is that ALL of the characters are jerks. Except Truman, I guess, but his part is so small and inconsequential that it's absurd to name the movie for him.The guy who's dying lies all the time for no good reason, he spends his friend's money like a spoiled, manic child (he's an "Artist" -- an underemployed has-been stage actor -- so he can't be EXPECTED to have anything of his own but mountains of debts), and he's totally -- TOTALLY -- self-absorbed. Nobody matters but poor Julian, or whatever his name is (Who cares what his name is? Not me).Oh, but he's dying! Boo-hoo. Everybody dies. It's no big deal, and it is NO excuse for acting like a selfish jerk and abusing the few people who care about him for reasons I CANNOT understand. I wouldn't spend four minutes with him, much less four days.His childhood friend Tomas, who drops everything at home in Canada to jet back to Madrid for four days because Julian "needs" him, seems to be an okay guy until he sleeps with Julian's cousin Paula -- in the most gratuitous, unnecessary, shoehorned-in sex scene I have EVER seen in a movie -- evidently as a means of "coping" with their shared grief over the jerk's impending death, totally oblivious to the beloved and loving wife and two kids Tomas parted from with great affection just two days earlier. What kind of jerk does that?Paula is no better. She frets and interrogates and pouts and sulks and cries because Julian is making his own decisions about dying instead of doing it HER way, whatever that way may be. And she sleeps with Tomas, knowing all about his family back in Canada -- but who cares about THEM? Nobody in this stupid, irritating, obnoxious movie.

Paul Allaer "Truman" (2015 release from Spain; 109 min.) brings the story of Tomas and Julian. As the movie opens, we see Tomas, a Spanish emigrant now in Canada, flying over to Madrid. He is there for an unannounced visit to his life-long friend Julian, an Argentinean theater actor living in Spain. It's not long before we learn that Julian has lung cancer and is refusing any further chemo treatment. Is Tomas there to try and change Julian's mind? And what becomes of Truman, Julian's old dog who has seen better days as well? To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from Spanish writer-director Cesc Gay. Here he brings an intense and emotional (but never sentimental) look at what a man does with his day-to-day life when his remaining time is limited, and how it affects his relationship with a guy who once was (still is?) his best friend but now lives in faraway Canada. It is important to emphasize that this easily could've been an emotional exploitation movie, yet Cesc Gay manages to infuse the perfect dose of reality. Check out the scene where Julian, accompanied by Tomas, goes to the funeral home to make funeral arrangements. "And who is the deceased?, asks the funeral director. "Me", Julian wryly responds. "Oh..." Just because the movie purposefully shies away from obvious emotional exploitation, we find ourselves sucked in even deeper. I was simply blown away by it all. Cesc Gay movie regulars Ricardo Darin (as Julian) and Javier Camera (as Tomas) each provide towering acting performances. But ultimately I feel that the credit must go primarily to Cesc Gay for this wonderful movie, easily one of the best I have seen in a long time (and that's saying something as I see a LOT of movies)."Truman" opened to immediate acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival 2 years ago, and went on to garner multiple awards. Imagine my surprise when the movie opened without any pre-release advertising or fanfare at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati this weekend, I went to see it right away. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great, not surprising to me (given the lack of any marketing for this film). Regardless, if you are interested in a slice of life that will resonate closer to you that you may think, or simply want to enjoy a top-notch foreign indie movie the likes of which are all too rare, you don't want to miss this. "Truman" is HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

gregking4 Winner of five Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars), this bittersweet comedy/drama about two men and a dog screened during the recent Spanish Film Festival earlier in the year. It was one of the more popular films in the festival and now it gets a cinema release. This amusing and deeply affecting film deals with universal themes of friendship, mortality, coming to terms with death, and it is sure to appeal to audiences. Julian (played by Argentinian actor Ricardo Darin, from Wild Tales, etc) is an Argentinian actor who has relocated to Madrid where he performs regularly on stage and television. He has been diagnosed with cancer, and after undergoing chemotherapy for a year he has decided to stop the treatment. He is resigned to his fate and sets about setting his affairs in order. Most importantly though he is trying to find someone to care for his beloved pet bull mastiff Truman, and has approached neighbours and strangers. His childhood friend Tomas (played by Spanish actor Javier Camera, from Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed, etc) relocated to Montreal but arrives in Madrid for a surprise visit. he hopes to change Julian's mind and convince him to go back to treatment. Tomas is sensible and restrained whereas Julian is more volatile and emotional in nature. Over the course of the next four days the two men reconnect as they wander the streets of Madrid, talking about their lives, loves, regrets and the future. There is also a side trip to Amsterdam where Julian briefly visits his son, whom he hasn't told about his decision. Truman is largely a two hander as it follows the two friends, although there are a few secondary characters with whom they briefly interact, including Julian's concerned and embittered sister Paula (Dolores Fonzi). The film has been directed by Cesc Gay (A Gun In Each Hand, etc), who handles the material in understated and sympathetic fashion. A droll vein of humour permeates the material. Gay, who co-scripted the film with Tomas Aragay, avoids becoming too sentimental, although the ending is effectively moving. The pacing is leisurely and gives audiences plenty of time to identify with Julian and Tomas. Camera and Darin are two of the most popular stars in their respective countries and they develop an easy going rapport here that seems natural. Gay's warm, honest and humorous script gives the two actors plenty to sink their teeth into and they reveal different layers to their characters. Darin is reunited with Gay, who directed him in A Gun In Each Hand, and he delivers a soulful and subtle performance here. Camera's low key and sympathetic performance here as the stoic Tomas offers a nice contrast. And the dog who plays the titular Truman is also superb; with its sad eyes and hangdog expression it has a warm and humorous presence. Gay and his cinematographer Andreu Rebes (A Gun In Each Hand, etc) make the most of the scenic Madrid locations, which add to the film's winning flavour. Truman is a winning, low key and moving variation on the familiar buddy comedy sub genre.

Reno Rangan It is not that hard to describe, I mean the entire story in a couple of lines, but scene by scene it embarks on the different level. A very ordinary tale that takes place in less than one week time, at a same time it catches your attention in a gentle manner. A perfect movie with the balanced contents. I admit, this is not what I expected, but still delivered the same quality differently. It takes us to the various locations to capitalise the concept and gives an idea how the real people in the real world express during their distressed time. I think I kind of liked its rich screenplay and the overall production quality.The movie was very slow, definitely need patience to watch it. It opened in a snowy Canadian residential area and soon begins to follow a middle ages man called Tomas saying goodbye to his family to board a plane for Madrid to meet his old pal, Julian. This unexpected visit gives an opportunity for Julian, a single father to open his heart to talk about the future plan, especially for his loving dog, Truman. The rest of the movie follows their lead by revealing some of the unknown to about each other.Yes, the title name was a dog character. It took some times to figure it out why and how important was this name for the movie. Almost the entire watch, only in the end scene, it all made sense. Besides, that is the part I fell for it, I think it was the best way to conclude. I love this kind of theme, this is where my softer side unfolds and feel the depth of the character or the tale that intended to strike emotionally. But the thing is, it was not a tearjerker drama as I wanted or it should have been."People don't know what to say to me. They smell death and they get scared."Another unique narration that dealt with having friendship in the front row for its simple ride. It might be a plot that evolved around two friends' four days wandering everywhere, but covered family issues as well, especially the father-son relationship for a brief time, but strongly. It took all the time in the beginning, but the second half was very interesting after it makes you comfort with the characters and enough story development to move on from there.It was a less fun, but a more meaningful movie than I thought. All the comedies were dark, it is unfortunate not to have even a small smile. The main source for it was the argument caused by the differences between the friends over what they decided to do, but in the end held back to normalcy as the character were matured and had a good understanding.So the comedy is only the tag that attached to the movie, but it was a very absorbing topic on its progress till the final minute. Yet, I'm very upset with a sex scene that definitely out of the synchronisation with the rest of the story. When everything was going so smooth it appeared from nowhere like a twist in the tale, I felt that was totally inappropriate. And also that 100 seconds changed the fate of the movie from a PG-13 to R product, though there was no strong nudity.It was effortless, but exceptional performances, especially by the leading two including the Argentinian superstar Ricardo Darin. And I don't forget the dog in the title role, but sadly his screenspace was very short. Obviously this movie is not designed to impact on all the viewers, so it is going to fail to satisfy a few, especially for its slow presentation without a cheerable background score. That means I suggest you to choose it carefully, by learning what the movie offers against what you actually want from it. But overall, it is surely worth to give a try.7/10