Jaime Rosales

Jaime Rosales is not the run-of-the-mill kind of filmmaker. Always trying to find new ways of expressing his art and his technique, he may disconcert those who, having seen one of his films, think he can be classified in one category or another. Unfortunately for them, but luckily for those who are in search of authentic artists, Jaime Rosales is outright unclassifiable. One of his films can be in black in white, the next one will be in color. In one of his works the dialogue will be almost inaudible whereas in the following one it will be as clear and significant as can be. At times he will favor fixed shots while at others tracking shots (including circular ones) will be the norm. In some sequences the time will be stretched, in some others contracted. So, do not try to label Jaime Rosales, you are bound to fail. Simply because the man loves experimentation and whether one likes his body of work or not, it cannot be denied that he is is a sincere, demanding artist constantly renewing himself. Born in Barcelona in 1970, the future darling of film festivals paradoxically began by studying economics. But more passionate about the seventh art, he changed course and joined two different film schools, EICTV in Cuba first and then AFTRSBE in Sydney, Australia. He soon found himself directing, three shorts for starters, which would be followed by eight features, all selected and awarded in film festivals, one of which, 'La Soledad' , even proving a surprise public success. If, as I said, Rosales never makes the same film twice, he does have one recurring theme, Plus a sub-theme, the harmful effects of violence on the (seemingly) well ordered everyday life of people, generally described beforehand, minutely and... slowly. Which is best exemplified by his first effort, 'Las horas del dia' (2003), with its belated revelation that the main protagonist, whose ordinary daily life has been described in detail, is... a serial killer. Violence will later upset the characters of all of his films, that inherent in solitude and cancer in 'La soledad' (2007), the ruthlessness of an ETA commando in 'Tiro en la cabeza' (2008), the loss of a child' in 'Sueño y silencio' (2014). It is the brutality of society against young people that induces the couple of 'Hermosa Juventud' (2014) to try and make a porn movie and the cruelty of a narcissistic pervert that causes the personal tragedies of 'Petra' (2018). Not for all tastes, Jaime Rosales' ambitious work nevertheless honors not only Spanish cinema but the world cinema as well.