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Half of Oscar (La mitad de Oscar)

Manuel Martín Cuenca
Spain / 2010 / 89 min. / Spanish with English subtitles

An exploration of family taboos, this quiet and austere third feature from Martín Cuenca (The Weakness of the Bolshevik, Hard Times) delves into the deepest regions of the human soul. The windswept beaches and mountains of Almeria are located on the Mediterranean in the southern province of Andalucia, Spain. It’s an area that is rarely portrayed in Spanish cinema, but one that Manuel Martín Cuenca uses as a central character in Half of Oscar, providing the ideal space to contemplate the complicated relationship between Oscar and his sister Maria. Oscar works as a security guard at a semi-abandoned salt mine. His lonely days consist of riding his bike to work, putting on his uniform and his gun, and contemplating the mountains of salt. Oscar’s routine is interrupted when his aging grandfather is moved from a home to the hospital and Oscar discovers that his sister, Maria, whom he hasn’t heard from in two years, will be coming to Almeria. To his bewilderment, she arrives pregnant and with a boyfriend in tow. The silent tension between brother and sister is palpable. Martín Cuenca’s use of the unique environment of Almeria is one of the most accomplished elements in the film; unadorned with music, the soundscape is comprised of the natural ambience of the landscape, which becomes as integral to the film as the visuals. Silence and subtext speak volumes in this poignant film about impossible loves.

Born in Almería in 1964, he studied Hispanic Philosophy in Granada and earned a degree in Information Sciences at the Complutense in Madrid. He started in the film industry as an assistant director, screenwriter and casting director. During that period, he also worked for the press and published several books. His short film, Nadie, un cuento de verano (1999), won numerous national awards. In 2001, he finished El juego de Cuba, which was shown in New York and Amsterdam. It won the highest award at Malaga Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Foreign Documentary at the BBC’s Grierson Awards, among other honors. His first feature film, The Weakness of the Bolshevik (La flaqueza del bolchevique, 2003) was one of the Goya Award winners of that year. He later directed Hard Times (Malas temporadas, 2005) and Últimos testigos: Carrillo comunista, the latter a Goya nominee for Best Documentary in 2009.