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Magical Girl (film)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Magical Girl
| image = Magical Girl (film) POSTER.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| native_name =
| director = Carlos Vermut
| producer =
| writer = Carlos Vermut
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on =
| starring =
| narrator =
| music =
| cinematography = Santiago Racaj
| editing = Emma Tusell
| studio = Aqu y All Films
| distributor = Avalon
| released =
| runtime = 127 minutes
| country =
| language = Spanish
| budget =
| gross =
}}
'Magical Girl' is a 2014 neo-noir film directed and written by Carlos Vermut, which stars Luis Bermejo, Jos Sacristn and Brbara Lennie. It scooped the Golden Shell and the Silver Shell at the San Sebastin International Film Festival, whereas Lennie won the Goya Award for Best Actress for her performance. It is a Spanish-French co-production.
Premise
Luis, an unemployed literature teacher, tries to fulfill the last wish of his 12-year-old daughter Alicia, who is terminally ill of leukemia: owning the official costume of anime series 'Magical Girl Yukiko'. The elevated price of the costume makes Luis get into an unusual and obscure chain of blackmails that involves Damin and Brbara, to changing their lives forever.
Cast
Influences on the film
Carlos Vermut had stated that the film bears the influence influenced of the popular dark magical girl anime 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'. Carlos stated he liked the story in Madoka and that "[he] received inspiration from the dark part of [....] "Madoka Magica", not just imitating, but matching it with the image I was thinking and putting it in 'Magical Girl'."
Production
A co-production among Spain and France (90%10%), 'Magical Girl' was produced by Aqu y All Films, with the participation of Films Distribution, Sabre Producciones, TVE and Canal+.
Release
The film was screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2014 San Sebastin International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Shell. Distributed by Avalon, it was theatrically released in Spain on 17 October 2014. It opened in French theatres on 12 August 2015, under the title 'La nia de fuego'.
Reception
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 8 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 9.0/10.
Jonathan Holland of 'The Hollywood Reporter' considered the film to be "a spare, austere and thoroughly contemporary noirish social critique constructed on rich emotional foundation".
Peter Debruge of 'Variety' considered the lack of relatable human behavior the film, "an elaborately contrived, imagination-dependent dark comedy", to be both an asset and a weakness.
Accolades
|-
| align = "center" rowspan = "2" | 2014 || rowspan=2 | 62nd San Sebastin International Film Festival
| colspan=2 | Golden Shell for Best Film
| || rowspan = "2" |
|-
| Silver Shell for Best Director
| Carlos Vermut
|
|-
| rowspan = "20" align = "center" | 2015 || rowspan = "3" | 20th Forqu Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Fiction Picture || || rowspan = "3" |
|-
| Best Actress || Brbara Lennie ||
|-
| Best Actor || Jos Sacristn ||
|-
| rowspan=8 | 2nd Feroz Awards
| colspan=2 | Best Drama Film
| || rowspan = "8" |
|-
| Best Director
| Carlos Vermut
|
|-
| Best Screenplay
| Carlos Vermut
|
|-
| Best Main Actor
| Luis Bermejo
|
|-
| Best Main Actress
| Brbara Lennie
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| Jos Sacristn
|
|-
| colspan=2 | Best Trailer
|
|-
| colspan=2 | Best Film Poster
|
|-
| 7th Gaud Awards || colspan = "2" | Best European Film || ||
|-
| rowspan=8 | 29th Goya Awards
| colspan=2 | Best Film
| || rowspan = "8" |
|-
| Best Director
| Carlos Vermut
|
|-
| Best Original Screenplay
| Carlos Vermut
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Luis Bermejo
|
|-
| Best Actress
| Brbara Lennie
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| Jos Sacristn
|
|-
| Best New Actor
| Israel Elejalde
|
|-
|}
See also
* List of Spanish films of 2014
References
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