DarkBlueAlmostBlack (Azuloscurocasinegro) (Dark Blue Almost Black) (2006)

68% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(3,701 ratings)

A handful of young people try to sort out the complications of their relationships -- both romantic and familial -- in this comedy drama from Spain. Jorge (Quim Gutierrez) is a guy in his mid-twenties trying to get his life in order as he looks after his father Andres (Hector Colome), who has… More A handful of young people try to sort out the complications of their relationships -- both romantic and familial -- in this comedy drama from Spain. Jorge (Quim Gutierrez) is a guy in his mid-twenties trying to get his life in order as he looks after his father Andres (Hector Colome), who has recently suffered a stroke. Relations are tense between Jorge and Andres, and Jorge thinks one of their arguments may have led to his father's illness. While Andres recovers, Jorge covers his shifts as a janitor, and spends his spare time hanging out with his friend Israel (Raul Arevalo), who is coming to terms with his sexuality, and corresponding with his one-time girlfriend Natalia (Eva Pallaares), who is now attending college in Germany. Meanwhile, Jorge's brother Antonio (Antonio de la Torre) has stumbled into an unusual new relationship -- Antonio is in prison, and while assisting with a theater production being staged behind bars, he becomes infatuated with Paula (Marta Etura), who is both a cast member and a prisoner. Paula wants a baby despite the fact she's in jail, but Antonio isn't so sure he wants to be the father. AzulOscuroCasiNegro (aka DarkBlueAlmostBlack) was the first feature film from writer and director Daniel Sanchez Arevalo. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
Written By: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 19, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jan 8, 2008
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Director Daniel Sanchez Arévalo would have done well leaving a few subplots on the cutting-room floor. Quality almost always is better than quantity.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Bifurcated images, isolating the characters from their dreams and from one another, create a yearning atmosphere that pulls you in; like their director, you really want them to escape.
Nathan Lee, Village Voice
Tells [a] ludicrously compact, aggressively 'heartfelt,' colorfully contrived story.
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter
Writer/director Aravalo and a fine cast tell the story with great charm.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
The plotline's complexity is matched by the depth of the issues explored, with the cast uniformly coming up trumps.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
The actors form an appealing ensemble, bringing a warmth and appeal that make the film more compelling than its familiar themes might normally merit.
Stan Hall, Oregonian
The plot of Spanish director Daniel Sanchez Arevalo's well-acted feature debut is the kind that his countryman Pedro Almodovar would imbue with bold colors, acid humor and perhaps a headstrong transvestite.
David Noh, Film Journal International
Daniel Sanchez Arevalo makes an impressive feature debut with this thoughtful, mordantly funny, deeply human film.
Jonathan W. Hickman, Entertainment Insiders
A terrific debut from writer/director Daniel Sánchez Arévalo.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
It's a well-acted soap with one too many plot lines, tied together by genteel audio-visual sutures and supported by the brittle metaphor of its title.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
This slice of quirky life story about a classy, unattainable suit in a store window, is one classy movie as well, ennobling its host of eccentric and tragic, yet determined and struggling, vividly realized characters.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Engaging, bittersweet and frequently laugh out loud funny, this is an enjoyable Spanish drama with strong performances and a subtle but effective message.
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
What could have seemed insufferably self-pitying becomes strangely moving instead -- a sign of a filmmaker placing his absolute trust in their material and coming up all the stronger for it.
Martha Fischer, Cinematical
There's an impressive, careful complexity to DarkBlueAlmostBlack that belies the inexperience of first-time director Daniel Sánchez Arévalo.
Boyd van Hoeij, european-films.net
Sanchez Arevalo is a worthwhile addition to the growing ranks of providers of solid and entertaining stories taken from life, as seen through a melodramatic prism.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Red L

This is a movie about relationships -- relationships between family, between friends, between lovers, even one relationship where Jorge is trying to get his brother's girlfriend pregnant. The movie keeps you watching with its interesting concepts. I'm not sure if Jorge does… More
This is a movie about relationships -- relationships between family, between friends, between lovers, even one relationship where Jorge is trying to get his brother's girlfriend pregnant. The movie keeps you watching with its interesting concepts. I'm not sure if Jorge does learn a lesson or not by the end of the movie though.
Bannan i

Why can't ALL movies possess such qualities?! Foreign films usually possess this sense of je ne sais quoi. Review TBA.
Quinto W

It's frustrating how the dialogues tend to lack subtlety, therefore cheapening the emotional connection, but the characters are very well written and everyone gives a very good performance.
John M

Beautifully filmed, nice score, well-acted. The characters are well developed and deep enough to be able to feel with them.