Reviews
EL PAÍS
https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/09/13/actualidad/1536789965_753139.html
When at the beginning of Marisa in the Woods, a key character, Mina, who is heartbroken, presents the protagonist with the first record of cult spanish band Vainica Doble, it is inevitable to think that, beneath this present lies a gesture of the director in search of complicity. Because, in a way, the debut movie by Antonio Morales has the magic, frailty, and seduction power of that irrepetible band’s songs. Like in one of them, Marisa in the Woods starts from the quotidian –a state of personal and professional anxiety, the care for a a friend who suffers after an unhappy love affair- to softly and joyfully immerse into the prodigous and unlikely: a night in which drugs are the candy of the schoolyard, and where magicians show up or sexual identities are trasformed; a city which can lead to the deepest woods if one gets lost in it.
After a career in the off-theater scene, Morales dives into a crafty filmmaking without the need –or the will- to give account to anydoby, and proposes a trip which maybe owes more to the indie song tradition than to the Jacques Rivette who resonates during the scenes closer to daydreaming, at this kindly strange film. With very well-chosen dramatic turning points- the phone call, the tale-telling theater rehearsal, Marisa in the Woods is pure freedom in search of playmates.
https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/09/13/actualidad/1536789965_753139.html
When at the beginning of Marisa in the Woods, a key character, Mina, who is heartbroken, presents the protagonist with the first record of cult spanish band Vainica Doble, it is inevitable to think that, beneath this present lies a gesture of the director in search of complicity. Because, in a way, the debut movie by Antonio Morales has the magic, frailty, and seduction power of that irrepetible band’s songs. Like in one of them, Marisa in the Woods starts from the quotidian –a state of personal and professional anxiety, the care for a a friend who suffers after an unhappy love affair- to softly and joyfully immerse into the prodigous and unlikely: a night in which drugs are the candy of the schoolyard, and where magicians show up or sexual identities are trasformed; a city which can lead to the deepest woods if one gets lost in it.
After a career in the off-theater scene, Morales dives into a crafty filmmaking without the need –or the will- to give account to anydoby, and proposes a trip which maybe owes more to the indie song tradition than to the Jacques Rivette who resonates during the scenes closer to daydreaming, at this kindly strange film. With very well-chosen dramatic turning points- the phone call, the tale-telling theater rehearsal, Marisa in the Woods is pure freedom in search of playmates.
CAIMÁN.CUADERNOS DE CINE. Suplemento SEFF
A film that flirts between Woody Allen's sense of humor and Eric Rohmer's philosophical reflections.
A film that flirts between Woody Allen's sense of humor and Eric Rohmer's philosophical reflections.
RTVE. DÍAS DE CINE (Vídeo)
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/dias-de-cine/festival-cine-sevilla/3795611/
In the stimulating section Resistances, we find Antonio Morales’ first feature film, which draws from theatrical and poetic influences as well as a tragicomic register to create a praiseworthy film that moves from illustrating local customs to penetrating into an inspired oneiric world.
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/dias-de-cine/festival-cine-sevilla/3795611/
In the stimulating section Resistances, we find Antonio Morales’ first feature film, which draws from theatrical and poetic influences as well as a tragicomic register to create a praiseworthy film that moves from illustrating local customs to penetrating into an inspired oneiric world.
THE WEE REVIEW
http://theweereview.com/review/marisa-in-the-woods/
With a budget of a mere €25,000 (€28,000 post-production) and only two weeks in which to wrap up filming, Morales has outmanoeuvred his limitations admirably. The final product does not feel rushed and both looks and sounds incredibly professional, with all of the actors acquitting themselves admirably. In particular Patricia Jordá in the title role gives a standout performance, imbuing her Marisa with just the right amount of off-kilter quirk.
Morales also delved into the underground, independent music scene to source his soundtrack, thus again working well within the budgetary restrictions placed upon him. His reward for doing so is freedom of another kind – creative freedom. With no major investors to answer to, Morales has been given a blank cheque to let his imagination run wild, and it is reflected in a storyline that veers unpredictably all over the place (a la Pedro Almodóvar), largely to delightful effect. [...] the turning point of the story comes as even more of a shock to the viewer, but as with films by directors such as Wes Anderson or Taika Waititi, the gravity of the situation is acknowledged but not dwelt upon. Life goes on, Marisa goes with it and the audience comes tumbling after. Comic handling of such tragedies – without trivialising them – is a real skill and Morales hits his mark perfectly. [...] it’s a lovely, life-affirming gem of a film with a heartfelt, heart-warming end to delight indie audiences all over the world.
http://theweereview.com/review/marisa-in-the-woods/
With a budget of a mere €25,000 (€28,000 post-production) and only two weeks in which to wrap up filming, Morales has outmanoeuvred his limitations admirably. The final product does not feel rushed and both looks and sounds incredibly professional, with all of the actors acquitting themselves admirably. In particular Patricia Jordá in the title role gives a standout performance, imbuing her Marisa with just the right amount of off-kilter quirk.
Morales also delved into the underground, independent music scene to source his soundtrack, thus again working well within the budgetary restrictions placed upon him. His reward for doing so is freedom of another kind – creative freedom. With no major investors to answer to, Morales has been given a blank cheque to let his imagination run wild, and it is reflected in a storyline that veers unpredictably all over the place (a la Pedro Almodóvar), largely to delightful effect. [...] the turning point of the story comes as even more of a shock to the viewer, but as with films by directors such as Wes Anderson or Taika Waititi, the gravity of the situation is acknowledged but not dwelt upon. Life goes on, Marisa goes with it and the audience comes tumbling after. Comic handling of such tragedies – without trivialising them – is a real skill and Morales hits his mark perfectly. [...] it’s a lovely, life-affirming gem of a film with a heartfelt, heart-warming end to delight indie audiences all over the world.
THE MOVIE GOURMET
https://www.themoviegourmet.com/?p=25306
Marisa in the Woods is an acid commentary on first-world problems and the complaints of the self-absorbed. As Marisa bounces from one dissatisfied friend to another, we are treated to a tour of Madrid locations, all the way to the magical realism at the ending.This is a very witty film, obviously influenced by early Pedro Almodóvar.
https://www.themoviegourmet.com/?p=25306
Marisa in the Woods is an acid commentary on first-world problems and the complaints of the self-absorbed. As Marisa bounces from one dissatisfied friend to another, we are treated to a tour of Madrid locations, all the way to the magical realism at the ending.This is a very witty film, obviously influenced by early Pedro Almodóvar.
EUROPA.OTROSCINES.COM
http://europa.otroscines.com/copias-certificadas/
“In Marisa in the Woods, the debut film by Antonio Morales, there is no copy at all. However, as the filmmaker himself put it when presenting his movie in section Resistences within the Sevilla Film Festival, the movie exudes a profound love of cinema. Maybe that is why the hints and references he proposes are easy to follow. And maybe that is why the film’s most beautiful scene is the one that shows a woman lying down, heartbroken after a painful break-up, with Lillian Gish in the background, also lying down in bed, in a scene from Broken Blossoms.
Marisa in the Woods starts with a dialogue between the main character, Marisa –a playwright– and an actor who is putting on some make up before a play. This film revolves around artifice, presented as a series of more or less fortunate encounters that Marisa has with her friends and acquaintances, à la Matías Piñeiro, a filmmaker who is able to reach subversion by use of the most joyful and playful fiction. Marisa in the woods lacks this subversion but it shows a similar playful side. “All of us are going to die: you, the corner shop assistant, Björk…,” says Marisa to her best friend. The best part of the movie, in fact, is the comical spontaneity which which the two friends talk, while the film offers all kinds references to the indie scene, from “Viaje a los sueños polares”, a classic pop song from the 90s, to “Arrebato” from Zulueta, the philosopher’s stone of the new alternative Spanish film at the time”.
http://europa.otroscines.com/copias-certificadas/
“In Marisa in the Woods, the debut film by Antonio Morales, there is no copy at all. However, as the filmmaker himself put it when presenting his movie in section Resistences within the Sevilla Film Festival, the movie exudes a profound love of cinema. Maybe that is why the hints and references he proposes are easy to follow. And maybe that is why the film’s most beautiful scene is the one that shows a woman lying down, heartbroken after a painful break-up, with Lillian Gish in the background, also lying down in bed, in a scene from Broken Blossoms.
Marisa in the Woods starts with a dialogue between the main character, Marisa –a playwright– and an actor who is putting on some make up before a play. This film revolves around artifice, presented as a series of more or less fortunate encounters that Marisa has with her friends and acquaintances, à la Matías Piñeiro, a filmmaker who is able to reach subversion by use of the most joyful and playful fiction. Marisa in the woods lacks this subversion but it shows a similar playful side. “All of us are going to die: you, the corner shop assistant, Björk…,” says Marisa to her best friend. The best part of the movie, in fact, is the comical spontaneity which which the two friends talk, while the film offers all kinds references to the indie scene, from “Viaje a los sueños polares”, a classic pop song from the 90s, to “Arrebato” from Zulueta, the philosopher’s stone of the new alternative Spanish film at the time”.
TV3-TELENOTICIES (Vídeo)
http://www.ccma.cat/tv3/alacarta/programa/cinema-catala-i-espanyol-al-da-film-festival-de-barcelona/video/5664745/
Marisa in the Woods in the personal journey of a woman lost in the forest of her own life. D’A Festival presents the debut feature film by playwright Antonio Morales, a tragicomedy reminiscent of Pedro Almodovar’s cinema.
http://www.ccma.cat/tv3/alacarta/programa/cinema-catala-i-espanyol-al-da-film-festival-de-barcelona/video/5664745/
Marisa in the Woods in the personal journey of a woman lost in the forest of her own life. D’A Festival presents the debut feature film by playwright Antonio Morales, a tragicomedy reminiscent of Pedro Almodovar’s cinema.
DFCINEMA
http://dfcinema.com/2016/11/09/festival-de-sevilla-dia-5/
Our first movie in the Resistances section allowed us to watch the most refreshing work of the whole festival. This ambitious feature film by Antonio Morales goes to show that incredibly talented filmmakers can be found in the most unsuspected places of our country. Marisa in the woods, with a remarkably coherent discourse, deals with universal topics, such as diversity and loss (or even finding and/or accepting oneself), and it does so with a magnificent use of formal mechanisms. Helped by a camera work which is up to the task, the film changes continuously, and applies humorous elements in a particularly effective manner, producing scenes which are as funny and natural as well planned.
arisa in the Woods is a low-budget movie (it was carried out thanks to crowdfunding), but it is full of life, thanks to its subtly metacinematic tone, with a number of very diverse references and quotes, drawn mostly from other movies. The story revolves around Marisa, a writer of independent theater plays who tries to help her best friend to go through a break-up. This is the vital time captured and shown by the movie, which borrows elements from the nouvelle vague without losing an inch of personality. All in all, considering both its positive and negative aspects (certain characters, which are too archetypical, and situations that are effective but not too relevant for the development of the plot or the main character), the former clearly outweigh the latter, thanks to the style and boldness of its director. Lastly, Patricia Jordá’s work is also worth-mentioning. She delivers an excellent performance in a role which will be hard to forget.
http://dfcinema.com/2016/11/09/festival-de-sevilla-dia-5/
Our first movie in the Resistances section allowed us to watch the most refreshing work of the whole festival. This ambitious feature film by Antonio Morales goes to show that incredibly talented filmmakers can be found in the most unsuspected places of our country. Marisa in the woods, with a remarkably coherent discourse, deals with universal topics, such as diversity and loss (or even finding and/or accepting oneself), and it does so with a magnificent use of formal mechanisms. Helped by a camera work which is up to the task, the film changes continuously, and applies humorous elements in a particularly effective manner, producing scenes which are as funny and natural as well planned.
arisa in the Woods is a low-budget movie (it was carried out thanks to crowdfunding), but it is full of life, thanks to its subtly metacinematic tone, with a number of very diverse references and quotes, drawn mostly from other movies. The story revolves around Marisa, a writer of independent theater plays who tries to help her best friend to go through a break-up. This is the vital time captured and shown by the movie, which borrows elements from the nouvelle vague without losing an inch of personality. All in all, considering both its positive and negative aspects (certain characters, which are too archetypical, and situations that are effective but not too relevant for the development of the plot or the main character), the former clearly outweigh the latter, thanks to the style and boldness of its director. Lastly, Patricia Jordá’s work is also worth-mentioning. She delivers an excellent performance in a role which will be hard to forget.
CINEMAADHOC
http://cinemaadhoc.info/2017/06/filmadrid-2017-cronica-8/
One of the highlights of this year’s Filmadrid Festival was the special screening of Marisa in the Woods, debut film by playwright Antonio Morales, in Cineteca. Even though the movie was previously shown in Sevilla SEFF and Barcelona D’A film festivals, we think this film is interesting enough to keep talking about it if necessary. And it is indeed. Marisa in the Woods is a superb film about loss. Or about how facing a loss is the only way to find oneself. Or, even more specifically, about how important it is to give a proper farewell to a person you loved and couldn’t say goodbye to. The film is that and much more. However, in this movie the how is more stimulating than the what. We are not only referring to its powerful mis-en-scene, or its bold bet for filming close-ups, or even to Patricia Jordá, also a debutant, who excels at transmitting her emotions. We are also talking about the careful construction of the main character through her interaction with the rest and through the way she faces a wide range of situations. And about an always present comic and casual touch which doesn’t take a whit of the movie’s profoundness and underlying drama.
After all, when we don’t know what exactly our role in the world is, the most sensible choice may be to get lost in a forest and live our own reality, even it is only for a time instant.
http://cinemaadhoc.info/2017/06/filmadrid-2017-cronica-8/
One of the highlights of this year’s Filmadrid Festival was the special screening of Marisa in the Woods, debut film by playwright Antonio Morales, in Cineteca. Even though the movie was previously shown in Sevilla SEFF and Barcelona D’A film festivals, we think this film is interesting enough to keep talking about it if necessary. And it is indeed. Marisa in the Woods is a superb film about loss. Or about how facing a loss is the only way to find oneself. Or, even more specifically, about how important it is to give a proper farewell to a person you loved and couldn’t say goodbye to. The film is that and much more. However, in this movie the how is more stimulating than the what. We are not only referring to its powerful mis-en-scene, or its bold bet for filming close-ups, or even to Patricia Jordá, also a debutant, who excels at transmitting her emotions. We are also talking about the careful construction of the main character through her interaction with the rest and through the way she faces a wide range of situations. And about an always present comic and casual touch which doesn’t take a whit of the movie’s profoundness and underlying drama.
After all, when we don’t know what exactly our role in the world is, the most sensible choice may be to get lost in a forest and live our own reality, even it is only for a time instant.
FOTOGRAMAS
https://www.fotogramas.es/peliculas-criticas/a23240254/marisa-bosques/
In Marisa in the Woods the protagonists listen to Vainica Doble and François Hardy, watch D.W. Griffith films, cite Iván Zulueta’s Arrebato, and the password of their laptop includes word Kafka. It’s not about hipster affectation, but rather about the display of a pop universe where cultural and intellectual elements converse with the personal momentum of a myriad of drifting characters.
Debutant Antonio Morales, who comes from off theater scene, escapes from the conventions of Spanish cinema and offers a different movie that resembles the mumblecore postulates in regards to the freshness of the dialogs, and resonates to Jacques Rivette or Matías Piñeiro’s cinema (the meta-reference, the mise-en-scène), and also to early Almodovar with a surreal air.
Beyond possible influences, Marisa in the Woods represents a delicious rarity, an offbeat treat which starts from a state of mind (the sense of loss and disorientation) and submerges the spectator into a mesmerizing trip which takes us from the urban postcards of Madrid, a city that works as an engrossed scenery, into a surreal forest where daydream inventiveness beats. And it does so with imagination and ease, by mixing dramatic representation and magical realism.
https://www.fotogramas.es/peliculas-criticas/a23240254/marisa-bosques/
In Marisa in the Woods the protagonists listen to Vainica Doble and François Hardy, watch D.W. Griffith films, cite Iván Zulueta’s Arrebato, and the password of their laptop includes word Kafka. It’s not about hipster affectation, but rather about the display of a pop universe where cultural and intellectual elements converse with the personal momentum of a myriad of drifting characters.
Debutant Antonio Morales, who comes from off theater scene, escapes from the conventions of Spanish cinema and offers a different movie that resembles the mumblecore postulates in regards to the freshness of the dialogs, and resonates to Jacques Rivette or Matías Piñeiro’s cinema (the meta-reference, the mise-en-scène), and also to early Almodovar with a surreal air.
Beyond possible influences, Marisa in the Woods represents a delicious rarity, an offbeat treat which starts from a state of mind (the sense of loss and disorientation) and submerges the spectator into a mesmerizing trip which takes us from the urban postcards of Madrid, a city that works as an engrossed scenery, into a surreal forest where daydream inventiveness beats. And it does so with imagination and ease, by mixing dramatic representation and magical realism.
ENTREFOCOS
https://www.entrefocos.es/cine/marisa-de-los-bosques-soberbia-pelicula-sobre-amor-y-arte/
[...] Though Madrid is sometimes depicted as a big city opulence and landmark buildings, it coexists with a different Madrid: a bohemian one, packed with alternative art galleries and theater romos. Marisa in the Woods feeds itself on that landscape, displaying a plethora of offbeat, endearing characters.
The film rises from the guts of director Antonio Morales and finds in actress Patricia Jordá the perfect vehicle to convey his deepest feelings. After the film was internationally recognized (it won Best Feature Film award at Arc Film Festival in Germany and Audience Award at Alicante Film Festival) we can now celebrate its arrival to Spanish theaters. This film deserves to be watched and to succeed for its honesty in addressing how bewildered we can be in this world.
https://www.entrefocos.es/cine/marisa-de-los-bosques-soberbia-pelicula-sobre-amor-y-arte/
[...] Though Madrid is sometimes depicted as a big city opulence and landmark buildings, it coexists with a different Madrid: a bohemian one, packed with alternative art galleries and theater romos. Marisa in the Woods feeds itself on that landscape, displaying a plethora of offbeat, endearing characters.
The film rises from the guts of director Antonio Morales and finds in actress Patricia Jordá the perfect vehicle to convey his deepest feelings. After the film was internationally recognized (it won Best Feature Film award at Arc Film Festival in Germany and Audience Award at Alicante Film Festival) we can now celebrate its arrival to Spanish theaters. This film deserves to be watched and to succeed for its honesty in addressing how bewildered we can be in this world.
ELDIARIO.ES
http://www.eldiario.es/andalucia/lacajanegra/seff2016/Resistencias-arte-derecho_0_579192661.html
Marisa in the Woods shows a unique and refreshing view thanks to Antonio Morales, who has been a theater director for two decades. His first feature film shows his theatrical origins by giving extreme importance to its characters, in particular to the main one, Marisa, brilliantly played by Patricia Jordá. Between humor and tragedy (as announced in the first scene of the film), Marisa in the Woods slides into risky and surreal grounds, while at the same time creating the empathy of the viewer with Marisa, a thirtysomething woman without any job or projects, who (maybe) hides her own crisis behind that of her best friend, recently dumped by her boyfriend. The film’s Almodovarian influence is clear. Marisa makes us love her much as Miguel Ángel, the main character from “El ultimo verano”.
http://www.eldiario.es/andalucia/lacajanegra/seff2016/Resistencias-arte-derecho_0_579192661.html
Marisa in the Woods shows a unique and refreshing view thanks to Antonio Morales, who has been a theater director for two decades. His first feature film shows his theatrical origins by giving extreme importance to its characters, in particular to the main one, Marisa, brilliantly played by Patricia Jordá. Between humor and tragedy (as announced in the first scene of the film), Marisa in the Woods slides into risky and surreal grounds, while at the same time creating the empathy of the viewer with Marisa, a thirtysomething woman without any job or projects, who (maybe) hides her own crisis behind that of her best friend, recently dumped by her boyfriend. The film’s Almodovarian influence is clear. Marisa makes us love her much as Miguel Ángel, the main character from “El ultimo verano”.
CINENUEVATRIBUNA
http://www.cinenuevatribuna.es/articulo/eventos/seff-cronica-cuarto-dia-festival-cine-europeo-sevilla/20161108101707003511.html
After the short film, the feature film Marisa in the Woods was projected. It tells, in a very sensibly balanced tragicomic tone, the vicissitudes of a playwright called Marisa (outstanding Patricia Jordá, who is very comfortable moving back and forth from drama to comedy). She has to help a good friend to deal with a break-up. Early Pedro Almodóvar’s influence is present throughout the movie, in little details as well as in how the movie includes a character with a peculiar nose, who reminds us of Rossy de Palma in the way she talks and moves.
But it is also a film that is brimming with love of cinema, be it intentional or not. It combines moments of genuine hilarity with scenes that cause great sorrow. One remarkable scene is when Marisa tells her friend the ending of Broken Blossoms, by D.W.Griffith, while on the screen we see images of the movie coming from their laptop. At the post-movie discussion, the director and his team admitted that it was completely improvised, which helps to generate sympathy and fondness towards the characters.
http://www.cinenuevatribuna.es/articulo/eventos/seff-cronica-cuarto-dia-festival-cine-europeo-sevilla/20161108101707003511.html
After the short film, the feature film Marisa in the Woods was projected. It tells, in a very sensibly balanced tragicomic tone, the vicissitudes of a playwright called Marisa (outstanding Patricia Jordá, who is very comfortable moving back and forth from drama to comedy). She has to help a good friend to deal with a break-up. Early Pedro Almodóvar’s influence is present throughout the movie, in little details as well as in how the movie includes a character with a peculiar nose, who reminds us of Rossy de Palma in the way she talks and moves.
But it is also a film that is brimming with love of cinema, be it intentional or not. It combines moments of genuine hilarity with scenes that cause great sorrow. One remarkable scene is when Marisa tells her friend the ending of Broken Blossoms, by D.W.Griffith, while on the screen we see images of the movie coming from their laptop. At the post-movie discussion, the director and his team admitted that it was completely improvised, which helps to generate sympathy and fondness towards the characters.
ÚLTIMO CERO
https://ultimocero.com/opinion/2017/10/09/una-sorprendente-originalidad-invisible-marisa-en-los-bosques-antonio-morales-2016/
'Marisa in the Woods’ mixes the urgent need of a first-time first-time to pour out all its creative potential under the knowledge that if the bet does not turn out well there might not be a second chance, and the surprising originality and freshness of the proposal. Despite its flaws, which exist and are not to be hidden, and its evident references to cinephilia, the film composes a portrait of a generation which radiates honesty, virtuosity, hope and vitality. A character takes the lead of the film from the beginning and carries the show with the absolute revelation of one of the most promising actresses for the future of Spanish cinema, Patricia Jordá. Known in the alternative theater circuit, she assumes the leading role in such a way that it is impossible to imagine the outcome wit h another face, another presence, another diction. […]. The undersigned fails to grasp how this woman remained undiscovered for cinema, and how she has not yet enrolled in another film after the festival run of ‘Marisa in the Woods’. Though it is equally discouraging and absurd that a film which has been unanimously worshipped since it was premiered in Seville last year, almost one year later, remains unreleased on the big screen, invaded week after week by filth and visual irrelevance.
[…] While the film in its first two thirds is recognizable, original without renouncing to reference, self-parodying, and emotionally comical, the last third of the film makes clear the potential of the director to make a drastic U-turn on the story. By eluding the commonplace and the easy self-indulgent solution, he embarks on an oneiric trip at daylight, which resembles in this conclusion the narratives of directors such as Damien Manivel or Paul Vecchiali, and which links an adult child with the little girl in ‘Nana’ by Valerie Massadian. The encounter between the children and the woman, by the hand of an in-decline magician, is one of the most accomplished, successful, and moving episodes in last year’s Spanish cinema. And it does so from the plainness of making us believe that a madrilenian park can turn into an intricate jungle in which anyone can get lost, and find the way out from the personal problems which are blocking us. […] Remember these two names, Antonio Morales and Patricia Jordá: if you don’t get to see them on the screen, together or on their own, they won’t be to blame, the miserable approach to culture in this country will.
https://ultimocero.com/opinion/2017/10/09/una-sorprendente-originalidad-invisible-marisa-en-los-bosques-antonio-morales-2016/
'Marisa in the Woods’ mixes the urgent need of a first-time first-time to pour out all its creative potential under the knowledge that if the bet does not turn out well there might not be a second chance, and the surprising originality and freshness of the proposal. Despite its flaws, which exist and are not to be hidden, and its evident references to cinephilia, the film composes a portrait of a generation which radiates honesty, virtuosity, hope and vitality. A character takes the lead of the film from the beginning and carries the show with the absolute revelation of one of the most promising actresses for the future of Spanish cinema, Patricia Jordá. Known in the alternative theater circuit, she assumes the leading role in such a way that it is impossible to imagine the outcome wit h another face, another presence, another diction. […]. The undersigned fails to grasp how this woman remained undiscovered for cinema, and how she has not yet enrolled in another film after the festival run of ‘Marisa in the Woods’. Though it is equally discouraging and absurd that a film which has been unanimously worshipped since it was premiered in Seville last year, almost one year later, remains unreleased on the big screen, invaded week after week by filth and visual irrelevance.
[…] While the film in its first two thirds is recognizable, original without renouncing to reference, self-parodying, and emotionally comical, the last third of the film makes clear the potential of the director to make a drastic U-turn on the story. By eluding the commonplace and the easy self-indulgent solution, he embarks on an oneiric trip at daylight, which resembles in this conclusion the narratives of directors such as Damien Manivel or Paul Vecchiali, and which links an adult child with the little girl in ‘Nana’ by Valerie Massadian. The encounter between the children and the woman, by the hand of an in-decline magician, is one of the most accomplished, successful, and moving episodes in last year’s Spanish cinema. And it does so from the plainness of making us believe that a madrilenian park can turn into an intricate jungle in which anyone can get lost, and find the way out from the personal problems which are blocking us. […] Remember these two names, Antonio Morales and Patricia Jordá: if you don’t get to see them on the screen, together or on their own, they won’t be to blame, the miserable approach to culture in this country will.
JURY OF ARC FILM FESTIVAL
A dramatist surpresses her own crisis in worries for a friend. She seeks help from friends in no avail and finally harmonically finds a resort out of her own inner blockade in a magical forest. The director stages this quickly told plot as a chain of episodes set in the milieu of the urban scene in Madrid.
A steady change of film language and style corresponds with the unsteadiness of the protagonist. The references to movies, from the Nouvelle Vague to Magic Realism - including footage from the film library, surely delight cinephiles trying to decode the origins. But the appropriation and stringing of known motifs exceeds far beyond an admiring imitation. Thereby a whole new entity is created – an auteur film, no longer believing in the old meta-narratives, which playfully sketches an artistically autonomous image of contemporary attitudes of life.
A dramatist surpresses her own crisis in worries for a friend. She seeks help from friends in no avail and finally harmonically finds a resort out of her own inner blockade in a magical forest. The director stages this quickly told plot as a chain of episodes set in the milieu of the urban scene in Madrid.
A steady change of film language and style corresponds with the unsteadiness of the protagonist. The references to movies, from the Nouvelle Vague to Magic Realism - including footage from the film library, surely delight cinephiles trying to decode the origins. But the appropriation and stringing of known motifs exceeds far beyond an admiring imitation. Thereby a whole new entity is created – an auteur film, no longer believing in the old meta-narratives, which playfully sketches an artistically autonomous image of contemporary attitudes of life.
ALUCINE
https://www.bolsamania.com/cine/marisa-en-los-bosques-esa-maravilla-que-acaba-de-llegar-a-nuestros-cines-sin-hacer-ruido/
It shines on its own merit: Marisa in the Woods moves sumptuously, which to some extent accounts to the acting of Patricia Jordá. She is Marisa, the woman around whom everything happens. This responsibility does not weigh down on her, most to the contrary, she reveals herself as a force of nature. The script by Antonio Morales and the photography by Dani Lisón are the breeding ground for that display. The film is not free from some uneven dramatic twists and some odd annoying supporting character, but this a toll one pays gracefully to enjoy this fantastic display of creative freedom.
Last weekend this gem paves its way to Spanish theaters. Now the audience has the responsibility (almost a duty) to go watch it, allowing the film to expand. It is impossible not to surrender to the wonders of this helpless woman.
https://www.bolsamania.com/cine/marisa-en-los-bosques-esa-maravilla-que-acaba-de-llegar-a-nuestros-cines-sin-hacer-ruido/
It shines on its own merit: Marisa in the Woods moves sumptuously, which to some extent accounts to the acting of Patricia Jordá. She is Marisa, the woman around whom everything happens. This responsibility does not weigh down on her, most to the contrary, she reveals herself as a force of nature. The script by Antonio Morales and the photography by Dani Lisón are the breeding ground for that display. The film is not free from some uneven dramatic twists and some odd annoying supporting character, but this a toll one pays gracefully to enjoy this fantastic display of creative freedom.
Last weekend this gem paves its way to Spanish theaters. Now the audience has the responsibility (almost a duty) to go watch it, allowing the film to expand. It is impossible not to surrender to the wonders of this helpless woman.
REVISTA MAGNOLIA
http://revistamagnolia.es/2016/11/seff-2016-ii-le-fils-de-joseph-eugene-green-solo-es-el-fin-del-mundo-xavier-dolan/
In Marisa in the Woods, the playwright Antonio Morales proposes a suggestive dramatic comedy with one foot on magical realism and the other in the world of theater. Packed with quotes and references to cinephilia, the film revolves around a breakup and how it affects its main character, Patricia Jordá, a woman of theater immersed in confusion. The film grows strong thanks to acting and to the inventiveness of the dialogues and, though the ensemble is ballasted by an excessive runtime and a somewhat dispersed screenplay (with too many characters and situations of the madrilenian comedy, which divert from the story of friendship which is at the center of the plot), it is conforming to find scenes such as that in which the protagonist narrates to her best friend a sequence of a silent movie, or the theater rehearsal scene where an important revelation is disclosed to the spectator, relating to the secret which is torturing
http://revistamagnolia.es/2016/11/seff-2016-ii-le-fils-de-joseph-eugene-green-solo-es-el-fin-del-mundo-xavier-dolan/
In Marisa in the Woods, the playwright Antonio Morales proposes a suggestive dramatic comedy with one foot on magical realism and the other in the world of theater. Packed with quotes and references to cinephilia, the film revolves around a breakup and how it affects its main character, Patricia Jordá, a woman of theater immersed in confusion. The film grows strong thanks to acting and to the inventiveness of the dialogues and, though the ensemble is ballasted by an excessive runtime and a somewhat dispersed screenplay (with too many characters and situations of the madrilenian comedy, which divert from the story of friendship which is at the center of the plot), it is conforming to find scenes such as that in which the protagonist narrates to her best friend a sequence of a silent movie, or the theater rehearsal scene where an important revelation is disclosed to the spectator, relating to the secret which is torturing
FILMADRID (Sergio de Benito)
http://filmadrid.com/catalogo/marisa-en-los-bosques/
Marisa (30) is lost in a jungle of other people’s drama while postponing hers. She walks the streets of Madrid with the agility of a Rohmer’s heroine and reveals, by constant dialogues, her own existential anxiety. The unique debut feature of the playwright Antonio Morales, filled with unequivocal cinematic and theatrical quotations that do not hide the appearance of an embryonic universe, uses the daily humor to depict with extreme sensitivity a female collapse of almodovarian root. Morales is fearless of visiting unsuspected places in the meanders of his tragicomedy. Another secret weapon of this debut is claiming that the capital is a never-ending stage, the same that made the author of Law of Desire immortal and that now is an urban witness of Marisa’s breakdown. His locations widen a character that is all at once generational and defining the independent art scene, crowned by the cinematic discovery of Patricia Jordá.
http://filmadrid.com/catalogo/marisa-en-los-bosques/
Marisa (30) is lost in a jungle of other people’s drama while postponing hers. She walks the streets of Madrid with the agility of a Rohmer’s heroine and reveals, by constant dialogues, her own existential anxiety. The unique debut feature of the playwright Antonio Morales, filled with unequivocal cinematic and theatrical quotations that do not hide the appearance of an embryonic universe, uses the daily humor to depict with extreme sensitivity a female collapse of almodovarian root. Morales is fearless of visiting unsuspected places in the meanders of his tragicomedy. Another secret weapon of this debut is claiming that the capital is a never-ending stage, the same that made the author of Law of Desire immortal and that now is an urban witness of Marisa’s breakdown. His locations widen a character that is all at once generational and defining the independent art scene, crowned by the cinematic discovery of Patricia Jordá.
FESTIVAL D’A
https://dafilmfestival.com/es/pelicula/marisa-en-los-bosques/
It is not very often that a film expresses so many things. Antonio Morales’ debut follows a woman who is not only lost in the forest of her own life but also in her relation with others and, lastly, in Madrid’s nighttime. With a tone that is in between tragedy and comedy, Marisa in the Woods is a tale made of mundane stories that gradually lead us to an oneiric world, as if one could smoothly go from Almodóvar to Fellini. Morales not only achieves that, but also creates his own world. In fact, this is an extremely personal movie, which draws from very diverse elements to build a hypnotic universe that slowly abduces the audience, who are suddenly lost in the same forest as Marisa, taken to a reality that is a distorted reflection of their own: all of us have forests surrounding us and get lost in them.
https://dafilmfestival.com/es/pelicula/marisa-en-los-bosques/
It is not very often that a film expresses so many things. Antonio Morales’ debut follows a woman who is not only lost in the forest of her own life but also in her relation with others and, lastly, in Madrid’s nighttime. With a tone that is in between tragedy and comedy, Marisa in the Woods is a tale made of mundane stories that gradually lead us to an oneiric world, as if one could smoothly go from Almodóvar to Fellini. Morales not only achieves that, but also creates his own world. In fact, this is an extremely personal movie, which draws from very diverse elements to build a hypnotic universe that slowly abduces the audience, who are suddenly lost in the same forest as Marisa, taken to a reality that is a distorted reflection of their own: all of us have forests surrounding us and get lost in them.