Why you can trust 12DOVE
"Why does everyone always fight? And why am I always in the middle?" Life isn't easy for Valentín (Rodrigo Noya), an eight-year-old boy in '60s Argentina whose dreams of a happy home life are as fanciful as his yearning to become an astronaut. Stuck with his grumpy gran (Carmen Maura) while his neglectful father chases all the skirt Buenos Aires has to offer, our specs-wearing hero longs for a mum to replace the one who walked out. If only it were that simple...
Director Alejandro Agresti's semi-autobiographical yarn is both insubstantial and derivative, recalling a dozen other rites-of-passage tales, while the decision to shoehorn Che Guevara's death into the narrative is a curious one given the general lack of political subtext. Thankfully, however, it features a winning performance from the hugely likeable Noya, ideally cast as the eternally optimistic protagonist, and lush cinematography that casts a nostalgic glow over the bittersweet action. Flawed, then, but impossible to dislike.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
"Souls-like meets Fable" is all this indie RPG needed to say to meet its Kickstarter goal, but it added in a Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood nod just for good measure
Gorgeous JRPG homage Clair Obscur sells out its collector's edition months before launch, dev says it didn't think "the demand for our physical editions would be so high"
Turn-based RPG Clair Obscur dev says all-star voice actor lineup includes people like Andy Serkis and Baldur’s Gate 3 alumni by accident: "He was like, 'Isn't that Clive from Final Fantasy?'"