Widely translated since its initial publication 16 years ago, Colombian novelist Hector Abad Faciolince’s “Oblivion: A Memoir” was an acclaimed reminiscence of his father Hector Abad Gomez. That crusading academic’s public criticism of institutionalized inequities led to his 1987 murder by paramilitary assassins. Retitled “Memories of My Father” for a belated U.S. release, veteran Spanish director Fernando Trueba’s screen version plays to his own familiar strengths, creating what’s primarily a nostalgic flashback to the author’s boisterous family life in 1970s Medellin.
The sharp political divisions and dangerous climate for dissent that ultimately claimed Gomez’s life become a somewhat vague backdrop in this warm-and-fuzzy approach. It does not make for the most penetrating history lesson. Still, those seeking a pleasantly expansive, somewhat old-school dose of laughter and tears — one not so distant from the director’s Oscar-winning “Belle Epoque” three decades ago — will enjoy this handsomely produced tale.
The sharp political divisions and dangerous climate for dissent that ultimately claimed Gomez’s life become a somewhat vague backdrop in this warm-and-fuzzy approach. It does not make for the most penetrating history lesson. Still, those seeking a pleasantly expansive, somewhat old-school dose of laughter and tears — one not so distant from the director’s Oscar-winning “Belle Epoque” three decades ago — will enjoy this handsomely produced tale.
- 11/18/2022
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
For his new yet familiarly expansive contemplation of life’s transitions and the dynamics of love, Spanish director Fernando Trueba (“Belle Epoque”) introduces a simple but effective visual proposition that toys with the way we conventionally understand time in cinema.
In “Memories of My Father,” adapted from Colombian author Héctor Abad Faciolince’s autobiographical novel “Forgotten We Will Be” (El olvido que seremos), the past, set during the early 1970s, is presented in color, while the story’s present, 1983, appears in black-and-white. Bygone days, evidently, were the happiest and brightest for the central family.
Adored by students and locals in the city of Medellín, doctor and professor Héctor Abad Gómez, played by seasoned Spanish actor Javier Cámara (“Talk to Her”), walks tall as a beacon of disinterested kindness and dedication to the collective well-being. His wife Cecilia (Patricia Tamayo), however, wishes he cared more about their financial stability.
Through the...
In “Memories of My Father,” adapted from Colombian author Héctor Abad Faciolince’s autobiographical novel “Forgotten We Will Be” (El olvido que seremos), the past, set during the early 1970s, is presented in color, while the story’s present, 1983, appears in black-and-white. Bygone days, evidently, were the happiest and brightest for the central family.
Adored by students and locals in the city of Medellín, doctor and professor Héctor Abad Gómez, played by seasoned Spanish actor Javier Cámara (“Talk to Her”), walks tall as a beacon of disinterested kindness and dedication to the collective well-being. His wife Cecilia (Patricia Tamayo), however, wishes he cared more about their financial stability.
Through the...
- 11/16/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
"Life isn't worth much in this country." Cohen Media Group has debuted a new official US trailer for a Colombian film titled Memories of My Father, made by acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Fernando Trueba. This was originally selected for Cannes in 2020, but eventually premiered at the 2020 San Sebastián Film Festival a few years back. The life of Héctor Abad Gómez, one of Colombia's most beloved national figures, is beautifully dramatized by filmmaker Fernando Trueba, the director of the Oscar-winning Belle Epoque. Set in the 1970s during a violent time in Colombia's history, an author recalls his time with his father, a university medical professor who fought against oppression and social inequality; plus the circumstances of his murder by Colombian paramilitaries. Winner of Best Iberoamerican Film at the Goya Awards (2021), Memories of My Father is based on the best-seller Oblivion: A Memoir by renowned auteur Héctor Abad Faciolince. Starring Javier Cámara, Nicolás Reyes Cano,...
- 9/26/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Almodóvar regular Javier Cámara brings a wonderful richness to his portrayal of Colombian professor and campaigner Héctor Abad Gómez
Javier Cámara is the Spanish actor with the gentle, open, everyman face who has been a stalwart repertory player for Pedro Almodóvar for around 20 years, particularly in the mysterious and beautiful 2002 film Talk to Her; Cámara unforgettably played Benigno, the nurse tending to a young woman in a coma, believing that he must always talk to her. Now he gives a wonderful richness and warmth to this very affecting movie, directed by Fernando Trueba; it is based on the true story of Héctor Abad Gómez, the Colombian public-health activist and prominent government critic who in 1987 was shot dead in Médellin by far-right paramilitaries. It is adapted from the 2005 memoir of Gómez by his son, the now prominent Colombian author Héctor Abad Faciolince, entitled El Olvido Que Seremos (which is the movie...
Javier Cámara is the Spanish actor with the gentle, open, everyman face who has been a stalwart repertory player for Pedro Almodóvar for around 20 years, particularly in the mysterious and beautiful 2002 film Talk to Her; Cámara unforgettably played Benigno, the nurse tending to a young woman in a coma, believing that he must always talk to her. Now he gives a wonderful richness and warmth to this very affecting movie, directed by Fernando Trueba; it is based on the true story of Héctor Abad Gómez, the Colombian public-health activist and prominent government critic who in 1987 was shot dead in Médellin by far-right paramilitaries. It is adapted from the 2005 memoir of Gómez by his son, the now prominent Colombian author Héctor Abad Faciolince, entitled El Olvido Que Seremos (which is the movie...
- 3/25/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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