Reviews

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  ★★★½ review by Esteban Gonzalez on Letterboxd

  Truman is a reminder of why Ricardo Darin is one of the most talented actors working today. It is a quiet and reflective performance where the body language communicates much more than his words. Truman is an emotional drama that has a lot to say about life, death, and friendship by centering on two estranged friends who reunite for a few days for their final farewell. It's a touching story with moments of dark humor, where the images say much more than words. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it and the story has stuck with me.

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  ★★★★ review by Juan Castillo on Letterboxd

  'Truman' es una película con perro. El perro es tan importante en la película que ésta lleva su nombre, pero en esta ocasión el mejor amigo del hombre es otro hombre.
  
  Cesc Gay vuelve, por tanto, a atreverse con los hombres, y vuelve a salir airoso con este particular "camino del héroe": el itinerario de un hombre condenado y el de su fiel camarada.
  
  Sin cargar las tintas, sin someternos a una explotación emocional a la que cualquier mediocre habría recurrido (¿verdad que sí, G. Iñárritu?), llegamos al final de esta gran cinta con la convicción de que cada uno de los dos protagonistas es un héroe para el otro. Esto es, un amigo.

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  ★★★★ review by Sergio Montesinos on Letterboxd

  Qué certera y natural es 'Truman'. Ricardo Darín y Javier Cámara están espléndidos

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  ★★★½ review by TajLV on Letterboxd

  Viewing #11 of my MovieTalk May Film Festival Challenge

  This dramedy from Spanish writer-director Cesc Gay has nothing to do with the 33rd president of the United States. The title refers to a dog, the loyal companion owned by a cancer-stricken actor named Julián (Ricardo Darín). The story opens in snowy Canada, where Julián's old friend, the college professor Tomás (javier Cámara), is about to embark on a flight to Spain and visit his ailing pal for four days in Madrid.

  Tomás's motive for the trip isn't just friendship. He's been asked by Julián's cousin Paula (Dolores Fonzi) to help talk him out of his decision to pursue assisted suicide. More than dying, however, Julián is concerned about finding a good home for Truman. Also, knowing he is facing certain death gives Julián a forthrightness, the ability to say what's on his mind and in his heart without embellishment, apology or misgiving.

  For Tomás, this is all outside his comfort zone. He wife insisted that he go, but this is the very first ever of his close friends to face death. He feels at a loss to do or say anything that might help. And Julián has given up fighting. He says he dreams of meeting the dead who have gone before him, and he gets upset if anyone tries to dissuade him from his decision to stop chemotherapy, uninterested in prolonging a life of pain and continued deterioration.

  Interviewing prospective new owners for Truman does not go well. Most seem to want puppies, not mature hounds. A lesbian couple with an adopted son are interested, but they have never owned a dog before. Truman is left overnight to see how he gets along in the new environment, while Tomás and Julián spend time visiting a funeral home and have a birthday lunch with Julián's son Luis (Eduard Fernández) who lives in Amsterdam and is seeing a French woman named Sophie (Lucie Desclozeaux). In the meantime, the lesbian connection doesn't work out.

  As far as humor goes, this is more a familiar smile than laugh-out-loud funny. And there's a hidden sub-story that doesn't get any play till near the very end. Given that Truman is the center of attention through much of the story, the mutt doesn't do anything more than walk, lie down and sit -- not exactly Beethoven, Benji or Lassie material.

  However, that said, the film dominated Spain's Goya and Gaudi awards with eleven wins out of 17 nominations, including two prizes each for Gay (Best Director), Darin (Best Male Lead) and Cámara (Best Supporting Actor). It's good in an atmospheric, not-much-happens kind of way. Worth a look.

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  ★★★★½ review by Simon Muñoz Peñalver on Letterboxd

  Como contar tanto con tan poco, a base de miradas y sobreentendidos. Una historia sencilla de amistad con la que cualquiera se puede identificar gracias la enorme interpretación de los dos protagonistas.

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