Little Ashes (2008)

24% of critics liked it
(68 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(78,540 ratings)

For years, scholars have debated the nature of the relationship between surrealist painter Salvador Dali and poet Federico Garcia Lorca; director Paul Morrison's Little Ashes delves into their personal interaction and their acquaintanceship with Spanish surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel, with whom… More For years, scholars have debated the nature of the relationship between surrealist painter Salvador Dali and poet Federico Garcia Lorca; director Paul Morrison's Little Ashes delves into their personal interaction and their acquaintanceship with Spanish surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel, with whom Dali made L'Age d'Or and Un Chien Andalou. In 1922 Madrid, bohemian lifestyles are flourishing -- from the arrival of jazz music to the en vogue teachings of Sigmund Freud. As the tale opens, Salvador Dali (Robert Pattinson) is only 18, but his dreams of artistic glory lie poised in front of him; his outré personality and social attitudes soon draw the full-fledged attention of two from the in-crowd -- Lorca (Javier Beltrán) and Buñuel (Matthew McNulty). For a temporary period, the three become the most "in" clique in all of Spain and find themselves virtually defining the currents of modernism; however, Buñuel then leaves for Paris, and Salvador and Federico are thrust together even closer than before -- so close that one night, their relations suddenly cross the line from platonic friendship to something far more intimate. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By: Paul Morrison
Written By: Phillipa Goslett
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: May 8, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Jan 26, 2010
Studio: Regent Releasing

Critic Reviews

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
A bravely earnest and gauzy bit of biography.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Beltran, for his part, makes a solidly believable Garcia Lorca. The problem is with the man with whom he's obsessed. In Pattinson's performance, we never see what Garcia Lorca sees in Dali.
Greg Quill, Toronto Star
Even cinematographer Adam Suschitzky's richly textured and resonantly toned cityscapes and rural scenes can't make up for a flawed script and weak performances in what might have been a powerful historical drama.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
What's intended to be a daring look at repressed sexuality, three-ways and all, has the dramatic heft of a true-love comic book.
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies
I think you should go ahead and rent the movie.
Ben Lyons, At the Movies
A noble effort, that ultimately left me disappointed and unfulfilled.
George Palathingal, Sydney Morning Herald
It feels as though Morrison and Goslett are trying too hard to emulate the work of their subjects.
Philippa Hawker, The Age (Australia)
The drawcard of Robert ''Twilight'' Pattinson as Dali is a mixed blessing for the filmmakers, given how ill-at-ease he is in the role. Javier Beltran, as Garcia Lorca, cast as the heroic centre of the film, cuts a more confident figure.
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
A snapshot of an insight into the life of Salvador Dali, one of the most complex artists in history and it intensifies rather than satisfies our curiosity about him
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
A strictly genius guy thing billed as historical fantasy, as this trio of high IQ party animal sexaholics, among them a defanged low testosterone Pattinson as Dali, frolic at a college resembling an antique Animal House.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
limps along about as lifelessly as one of Dali's melting clocks
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Beltran tries to give this flimsy nonsense some weight, but Brits McNulty and Pattinson's attempts at a Spanish accent are woeful.
Michael Szymanski, International Press Academy
It's not even worth it for Robert Pattinson, who is shown in the movie, nearly fully naked, with his privates tucked between his legs, but everything else showing.
Jimmy O, Film Snobs
A Pretentious Mess of a Bio-pic In the Worst Sense of the Phrase.
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun
The movie commits the error of scanting their cultural importance and fixating on Lorca's semi-requited love for Dali.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
Sexual repression claims yet one more victim.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
A dry, dull retelling of a typical gay coming-of-age tale that's invigorated by neither the period backdrop nor the fact that the characters were real people.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
The movie, with its badly painted backdrops, its stiff acting and its complete lack of dramatic momentum, is embarrassing to watch.
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Little Ashes is stylish enough to beguile and bold enough to provoke, but it's not bright enough to illuminate.
Stan Hall, Oregonian
While it eventually improves, the first quarter-hour of Paul Morrison's drama about the youthful exploits of Spanish artists Salvador Dali, Frederico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunuel is cringe-worthy.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Carlos M

A disappointing effort that doesn't develop well the personalities of its three main characters - and it feels hard to see what Lorca finds so attractive in Pattinson's Dalí. Also, the story is mined by irregular performances and some cheesy, embarrassing moments.
Jim H

Since I began writing reviews regularly, I've found myself becoming aware while I'm watching a film that I will have to have something intelligent to say about it. If I am not enjoying a film, I feel that I have to come up with a viable reason why. This was difficult for… More
Since I began writing reviews regularly, I've found myself becoming aware while I'm watching a film that I will have to have something intelligent to say about it. If I am not enjoying a film, I feel that I have to come up with a viable reason why. This was difficult for <i>Little Ashes</i>. I found myself complete unengaged with the film, and it was difficult to pinpoint why or what the filmmakers could have done to fix the problem. The best that I can determine is that the film frequently wanders. Is this a film about boys becoming men at school? Sorta. Is it about homosexuality? KInda. Is it a political drama? I guess. Even sprawling biopics generally have a central theme or character that pushes them forward, and we see no such thing in the story of Garcia Lorca and Dali. And Robert Pattinson. Clearly, I find Edward Cullen insufferable and the <i>Twilight</i> movies banal. But I had no great hatred for the actor until now. He is truly, truly awful in this film. I can't remember a single action that seemed motivated, and there is little reason to believe that Garcia Lorca would love/obsess over Pattinson's Dali. It is true that Salvador Dali often turned his life and his behavior into a twentieth century Diogenes, but we don't see satire in Pattinson's Dali; we see dumb schtick. Overall, this film is chore.
Thomas J

I was not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. There is a real love story there, but because of the times and reservations is where the conflict comes in. All acting was pretty good but the stand out performance was Javier Beltan. I do not know how historically correct it… More
I was not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. There is a real love story there, but because of the times and reservations is where the conflict comes in. All acting was pretty good but the stand out performance was Javier Beltan. I do not know how historically correct it is, but I enjoyed seeing the conflict and struggle for gays in this time period in Spain.
Cynthia S

Even though this movie was rather strange at times, I couldnt help but like it. Robert Pattinson did a really great job portraying a very offbeat and eccentricly weird artist. I only wish that they didnt revolve so much around his supposedly gay relationship with Lorca, but it seems… More
Even though this movie was rather strange at times, I couldnt help but like it. Robert Pattinson did a really great job portraying a very offbeat and eccentricly weird artist. I only wish that they didnt revolve so much around his supposedly gay relationship with Lorca, but it seems that this was the main purpose of this film, I guess. Overall I really enjoyed it.
Jake .

My expectations for this movie went of a rollarcoaster from 'oh it's going to be amazing' to 'oh, that is going to suck' and back again. Regardless, by the time I actually had opportunity to watch Little Ashes, I really did not care if I saw it or not.… More
My expectations for this movie went of a rollarcoaster from 'oh it's going to be amazing' to 'oh, that is going to suck' and back again. Regardless, by the time I actually had opportunity to watch Little Ashes, I really did not care if I saw it or not. Overall, I was really impressed with it. There is not all that much that is noteworthy about the film, but it is incredibly intoxicating to watch. It's a slow, simple film, which is something I enjoy, but it does not leave much room for ideas or anything else. The characters are interesting and convincing, but a bit flat. You never really understand them, get into their skin. On a positive note, Robert Pattinson, really is not great, but he DOES appear to have the potential to be more convincing and intersting that poor Edward Cullen. There really is not any consistent look to the film. The first of all browny-brown, then it moves into more blacks and white, then tans, and so on. Maybe this was intentional or symbolic, idk. It's just sort of distracting, and I really cannot decide if it was intentional or not. I love Salvador Dali's art and I guess I would have expected a film about his life to be a bit more intersting, a bit more, well surreal. Enough whining, though, I really, really enjoyed the movie, It's just that the only things that really stand out enough to merit mention are the flaws.
Michael S

Oh man, this film fails on almost every level! When I first heard about LITTLE ASHES and it's premise, I thought it could end up being Oscar material... instead, it turned into one of the more cringe- inducing wrecks I've seen in a long while. AVOID. Life's too short to… More
Oh man, this film fails on almost every level! When I first heard about LITTLE ASHES and it's premise, I thought it could end up being Oscar material... instead, it turned into one of the more cringe- inducing wrecks I've seen in a long while. AVOID. Life's too short to be wasting it on junk like this!
Greg S

Set in Madrid and Paris at the height of the Dadaist and Surrealist movements, this movie describes a (likely fictional) student love affair between poet Federico Garcia Lorca and painter Salvador Dali. Surprisingly tame given the subject of forbidden love, and surprisingly… More
Set in Madrid and Paris at the height of the Dadaist and Surrealist movements, this movie describes a (likely fictional) student love affair between poet Federico Garcia Lorca and painter Salvador Dali. Surprisingly tame given the subject of forbidden love, and surprisingly conventional given the subject of revolutionary artists who advise us to eradicate all limits in art.
vieras e

****- An interesting look at the intricate...well...relationships between Salvador Dalí, Federico García Lorca, Luis Buñuel and Magdalena. I was going to say love triangle, but it can't really be called that when four people are involved, can it? Of course, officially Buñuel was… More
****- An interesting look at the intricate...well...relationships between Salvador Dalí, Federico García Lorca, Luis Buñuel and Magdalena. I was going to say love triangle, but it can't really be called that when four people are involved, can it? Of course, officially Buñuel was not at all interested in García Lorca because he was really quite homophobic, but his jealousy of Federico and Dalí's relationship is so obvious. Why else would he throw such fits? You can really feel the pain of Magdalena's unrequited love for Federico just as you can feel the pain Federico feels because of Dalí's mixed signals and general dysfunctionality. Dalí could really be a dislikeable person, it is true, but was García Lorca really that sympathetic all the time? All in all this film is much more about him than Salvador. But the film isn't all pain and pining. It has its sweet, romantic moments as well as its funny moments. RPattz wasn't quite able to capture the essence of Dalí, but at least he tried.
Walter M

Madrid in 1922 is no different than anyplace else when it comes to university students complaining about the repressive state of affairs. At least, Federico Garcia Lorca(Javier Beltran) has been published as a poet while Luis Bunuel(Matthew McNulty) is thinking about making a film.… More
Madrid in 1922 is no different than anyplace else when it comes to university students complaining about the repressive state of affairs. At least, Federico Garcia Lorca(Javier Beltran) has been published as a poet while Luis Bunuel(Matthew McNulty) is thinking about making a film. Salvador Dali(Robert Pattinson) puts them all to shame with his entrance in his fancy dress. The only thing Magdalena(Marina Gatell) can bring to the party is a short haircut but that will do for now. She also does have an invitation to a fashionable dinner party to which she brings along Federico and Salvador. Considering the time, place and people involved, "Little Ashes" is a potentially fascinating, yet fatally flawed and uninspiring, movie that even without Robert Pattinson's horrendous performance, still might not have been much good. Another problem arises from treating the characters as merely historical figures in a wax museum, rather than flesh and blood people. Despite their possible dreams, none had any idea what history would have in store for them.(I remember reading in a biography of Luis Bunuel where he wondered how he would have been remembered if he had died in the Spanish Civil War.) And the movie simply goes on too long when a tighter focus on a single time and place would have been the way to go. In its defense, I should point out the movie does the right thing by not shying away from any homoeroticism. Along these same lines there are some good thoughts on the importance of sticking to one's beliefs.
Burger S

A lot of guy on guy make out sessions, if that's your thing.
Alice S

I have never seen something more lifeless. What happened? Did the filmmaker decide to illustrate Dali's ideal, 'No limits', by representing the characters stuffed?
d j

It's okay....For the girls that are wanting to see this movie just for Robert Pattinson, well he was almost perfect. He was edgy, and funny, and crazy and stole every scene. I don't speak any Spanish, and there were times in the movie where I really struggled with… More
It's okay....For the girls that are wanting to see this movie just for Robert Pattinson, well he was almost perfect. He was edgy, and funny, and crazy and stole every scene. I don't speak any Spanish, and there were times in the movie where I really struggled with understanding what the characters were saying because the accents were so thick.