Weapons and clowns

Balada triste de trompeta is in some way a remake of Muerto de Risa, probably the best film of Alex de la Iglesia. In a nutshell, the film deals with two clowns fighting over a an aerialist girl. The pair ends up unleashing mayhem around them in a nihilistic final. In the background the spanish civil war and Francoism are looming and confer to the film it's dark tone.

Fans of Alex de la iglesia will recognise his trademark, a blend of gory violence, dark humour and nostalgia. The spanish director could be the lost European brother of Robert Rodriguez but a more talented one, as his visual prowess never surpasses his storytelling and character building, the prime element of his films.



Most of his films usually end in well-known Spanish sites (Madrid's roofs, Kio Towers, the Almeria desert....) In La balada Triste, the infamous Valle de los Caídos becomes the scenery for the ultimate showdown.

Alike The Hurt Locker who got surprisingly awarded at the Oscar, Balada triste de trompeta is a quality film that probably did not deserve all the praise given at the Mostra (maybe the fact that Tarantino was at the helm of this year's edition may have influenced that decision). But on the good side, it will allow people to look back at Iglesias's filmography and discover his little known gems (La communidad, Muerto de risa y Crimen ferpecto).