ISMAEL
2013,
106 min,
Spain,
Dir: Marcelo Piñeyro
With a return address on an envelope his only guide, 8-year-old Ismael (Larsson do Amaral) runs away to Barcelona in search of his estranged father (Mario Casas) but finds instead a grandmother (Belén Rueda) who hadn’t known of Ismael’s existence. As in his earlier KAMCHATKA, Piñeyro displays a sure hand with young actors and serious subjects, and this tale of family reconciliation is both touching and frequently funny. In Spanish with English subtitles.