Salvador Puig Antich occupies an important key role in the recent history of Spain. As a freedom fighter, he became a symbol of the end of fascism, of the power of political resistance that cannot be broken even by death. Director Manuel Huerga tells the story of Salvador in his latest film, focusing particularly on the last days of his life as a political enemy of the Spanish regime.
In flashbacks, the viewer learns how Salvador (Daniel Brühl) first demonstrates against the Franco regime in smaller actions, which then become larger and more dangerous, ultimately making Salvador one of the most wanted men in Spain. His escape to France, the love that has no future due to his political persecution and his return to Spain until his arrest are also stages that the film tells about. But it is the short trial, the struggle of Salvador's family and his lawyer to avert the sentence, the death penalty, after all, and the unusual friendship with one of his guards that are at the heart of the story and that eventually culminate in a highly emotional but never cheesy ending.
The whole thing is carried by an extremely convincing Daniel Brühl, who may not at first glance seem like the ideal casting for Salvador. But Brühl, the son of a Spanish mother and raised in Barcelona, definitely has strong roots in Spain, speaks the language fluently, and his portrayal does the national hero justice.
The production has a few minor lags, but overall Huerga has succeeded in creating an exciting, compelling, and very emotional biography of a man who fought for his ideals to the end. The imagery is simple, somewhat undercooled, but thus comes across as extremely direct and close to reality. Finally, the last minutes are staged in such a stirringly painful way that it is almost impossible not to react emotionally as a viewer. In Spain, "Salvador" was one of the most successful films of the year in 2006. In Germany, this success will certainly not be repeated. But it remains to be hoped that the film will also get the attention it deserves in this country. Because alone the very convincing actors and the last third, which makes up for some of the initial lengths, make this film absolutely worth seeing!
Original title: Salvador
Directed by Manuel Huerga
Length: approx. 134 min.
FSK: age 16+
Ein Artikel von Frankfurt-Tipp
