Son de Mar

Son de mar, or "Sound of the Sea", is a love story directed by Bigas Luna (Jamón, jamón, Las Edades de Lulú, etc.). It is a love triangle. Martina (Leonore Watling) works in her parents' bar. The richest young man in town, Sierra, Eduard Fernández, is after her in a big way, much to her parents joy, but she instantly falls for a mid-semester replacement language and literature teacher, Ulises (Jordi Mollà). She manages to get pregnant by him, forcing him, and her parents, into the marriage she wants. After the baby is born, Ulises goes fishing in his small boat, and doesn't return. His boat washes up on the ricks, and they hold a funeral. Martina sees the peril in being a single mother, and marries Sierra. True, she is not happy, but she is wealthy and comfortable -- at least until Ulises returns. He phones, and remember this guys, if you ever need a sure fire pick-up line,, and says, "I travelled every ocean of the world, only to discover that I can't live without you".

not available in Region 1

The scenics are wonderful, and the photography is stunning, which made me appreciate the excellent Widescreen transfer. The Region 2 DVD includes a "making of" featurette, a version of the official Web site, and several other extras. I don't know if we will see a US release, because there is a male full frontal from Jordi Mollà, which would probably give the MPAA fits.

The Critics Vote

no English reviews online.

nominated for two Goyas, including best adapted screenplay

The People Vote ...

IMDB summary. IMDb voters score it 6.5/10

with their dollars: 400,000 admission in Spain (about equal in popularity to a $20 million dollar picture in the USA

IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, this film is a C+. I enjoyed this odd love story, mainly due to the scenery, including the gorgeous Watling, and some very picturesque Spanish coast.