Deprisa, Deprisa [1981]

Tales of marginalized and delinquent youths living carefree lives filled with violence and crime, and by their own moral codes governed by ‘here and now’ and a royal disregard for the powers that be, only to be eventually consumed by the ambit of crime and punishment, has been a theme covered memorably on numerous occasions, in noirs and counter-culture films of US, Japan and elsewhere. Deprisa Deprisa, the film that Saura began the 80s with and a final tryst for the time being with socio-political commentary before he dramatically changed gears with Blood Wedding, provided a distressing but lyrical portrayal of a socially and morally displaced generation, and evoked memories of Oshima’s Cruel Story of Youth, among others. The film comprised of a quartet of young adults whose quiet and sensitive natures are in direct contravention to the world of crime around them – Pablo (José Antonio Valdelomar), his pretty sweetheart Ángela (Berta Socuéllamos), his buddy Meca (Jesús Arias) and an import to their group Sebas (José María Hervás Roldán). Though they keep making quick money through armed robberies and have good times in between, it’s obvious that their presents are as fragile as illusive are their dreams of a settled future. Their actions soon catch up with them when a bank heist goes horribly wrong, leading them to tragic, albeit anticipated, comeuppance. The washed out visuals, minimally used electronic score and liltingly captured themes of love, friendship and camaraderie, were very well juxtaposed with their harsh, bleak and unsustainable lives in the post-Franco void, thus further emphasizing the grand tragedy of their brief existences.

Director: Carlos Saura
Genre: Drama/Crime Drama
Language: Spanish
Country: Spain