There is a general sense of faded glory for the Spanish coastal town of Gijón in Amalia Ulman’s feature directorial debut El Planeta. The two central characters of this dark comedy about poverty, struggling fashion designer Leo (Ulman) and her single mother Maria (Ulman’s real-life mother Ale Ulman), are shown to be well on their way to being without a home. Upon first glance, their crumbling circumstance may seem situational, but the more you step back you will understand it is systemic. As we follow these women around town, a parade of closed storefronts litter the background in a way that feels nearly subliminal as you focus on the characters on screen. The city has yet to recover from the financial collapse that fundamentally changed the way of life for everyone in this city and the world beyond.
The specific time of this story is never nailed down, but a real-life event related to a visit from Martin Scorsese would put this story in the realm of 2018. The younger Ulman draws upon real-life inspiration of a brief homeless period in her life to bring Leonor to life. Leo has come home from studying and scraping by in London to help her mother contend with a looming eviction after the death of her husband. This heavy subject matter is not dealt with an unyielding bleakness that numerous other features might implement. Maria appears less concerned about the death of her husband than she is of the loss of her beloved cat, the memory of which survives around the house in the form of assorted knick-knacks. Both mother and daughter are painfully aware of their dire financial circumstances, and each latch on to different methods in order to survive.
A perfect encapsulation of the overall themes of the film is offered up early on as we find Leo meeting a slightly older man at a coffee shop (an amusing cameo from Colossal director Nacho Vigalondo). The young woman is at her most desperate, considering the possibility of sex work as this man lays out his ideal afternoon. The collision of Pretty Woman fantasy and sobering reality happens when the rate that she Googled for such work does not align with what the market can bear. When your client base is from the same low-income area as you are, you have to weigh the cost-benefit analysis of oral sex.
What are you supposed to do when traditional means fail you? Leo does attempt to make opportunities for herself in her chosen field. She even has a dream offer to style Christina Aguilera in New York. Of course, the airfare is not covered and the compensation is essentially the exposure she would receive. As is noted by her colleague, “the more high profile the job, the less money there is to be made.” This backwards thinking is what creates a society of struggling workers who know that social cache cannot pay the rent.
Of course, this idea is put to the test by Maria as she goes around town racking up exorbitant bills as she passes the expense on to her affluent boyfriend who may or may not exist. It might be easy to believe that Maria comes from wealth and is having trouble adjusting to her newfound poverty, but the society from which she comes is made up of conservatives who never had real wealth who only want to project a sense of decency and respectability to the world. This woman has never had a job in her life, but she has always found a way to get by and maintain an image that suits her. If she has reached the end of her road, she is going to go out with pearls on.
Cinematographer Carlos Rigo Bellver delivers a timeless aesthetic through his glorious black-and-white photography that complements the throwback quality to some of the performances. Amalia has perfected the reaction shots of certain old-Hollywood starlets which adds to the offbeat humor of certain situations. That is not to mention Ale Ulman harnessing her best Gloria Swanson as she prepares for her final closeup. The vignette-heavy nature of the storytelling likewise harkens back to some of the European masters in a way that feels very intentional.
At a concise 81 minutes, El Planeta provides an immensely entertaining snapshot of a mother and daughter who are doing what they can to survive in the world. While the larger social commentary is thoughtfully woven into the narrative, the movie shines best when the rich, nuanced characters are playing off one another and offering up authentic emotional moments. Amalia Ulman has crafted an incredibly impressive debut feature that should firmly establish her as a director to keep firmly on your radar. Her work is scathing, but you are left with a feeling of tenacious joy that few filmmakers can balance so confidently.
Video Quality
El Planeta arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Utopia and Vinegar Syndrome with a stellar AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The lovely black-and-white photography has some nice contrast and natural gradients. Facial features appear very natural across the entire cast with even the most minor details on display such as makeup and perspiration. The level of detail in this presentation remains as strong as ever, as all of the subtle aspects of the costumes and production design are razor sharp. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. The bright whites do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. There are no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. This Blu-Ray is simply gorgeous as Utopia continues to impress with its output.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a stellar DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Spanish that captures this film perfectly. Dialogue is the driving force of the film, and it comes through crisp and clear without being clipped by any competing sounds. Ulman does a really great job of capturing this environment and making sure all this information comes through with supreme clarity. The subtle implementation of music establishes the mood of the film, and it is resolved well here as it fills the room. Environmental sounds are limited but what is there is replicated perfectly. You could not have asked for a better audio presentation for this one. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for those who desire them.
Special Features
- Official Trailer: The minute-and-a-half trailer is provided here.
- Blooper Reel: A minute-long collection of flubbed lines, ruined takes, joking around and more.
- Still Photo & Polaroid Gallery: An eight-minute selection of photos taken during the production of the film.
- Booklet: This release comes with a 20-page booklet featuring a Q&A interview with Amalia Ulman conducted by Nicolas Rapold for Screen Slate. This is a pretty insightful piece which gives you further background on Ulman and what she wanted to represent on film. Really worth checking out if you are a fan of the film.
Final Thoughts
El Planeta is a wickedly smart and hilarious look at the socioeconomic barriers that hold back so many and the struggles that arise from those circumstances. Amalia Ulman makes a huge splash with her assured directorial debut where she is succeeding on every level. The performance from her real-life mother likewise goes very far towards giving this film the distinct tone that makes the heartbreak go down so easily. Utopia and Vinegar Syndrome have released a Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation and a couple of special features. World cinema fans should not hesitate to add this to their collection. Recommended
El Planeta is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Utopia and Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
