Fermín Galán: A dusty look at a revolutionary moment

Is it worth the time?

Honestly, only if you are a massive history nerd or you really dig that specific early-talkie, theater-on-film vibe. If you want something snappy like The Fall Guy, look elsewhere. People who like stiff collars and long, dramatic speeches might find something to love here, but if you have zero patience for static camera angles, you’ll probably be bored within ten minutes.

The whole thing feels like a play that just happened to have a camera pointed at it. There is this one scene where they are huddled up discussing the uprising, and it goes on for what feels like an eternity. It’s heavy.

José Baviera is doing a lot of heavy lifting in the lead role, but sometimes the dialogue is just so... formal. It’s like they were afraid to let the actors actually breathe between lines. You can practically hear the script pages turning in the background.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Fermín Galán (1931) through its definitive frames.

Oddly specific observations:

• The lighting in the interior scenes is so flat it looks like a flat paper cutout.
• I spent way too much time staring at the curtains in the background of the meeting room.
• The way they handle the transition between scenes is surprisingly jarring compared to Blackmail, which at least had some visual flair.
• There’s a moment near the end where the tension should be sky-high, but it just feels like everyone is waiting for the train to leave the station.

It’s not trying to be Westfront 1918 in terms of gritty reality. It’s more of a stage-bound dramatization of a political mood. That’s fine, I guess, but it lacks that spark of life you get from films that actually use the camera to tell the story instead of just recording it. 🎥

Some of the supporting performances are fine, I suppose. Juanita Alcón is there, doing her best, but she doesn't get enough to do. It’s all very, very focused on the men in uniforms talking about destiny. Too much destiny, not enough human messiness.

I left the screen feeling like I’d just read a very dry textbook. If you like your history lessons served with a side of dramatic posing, go for it. Otherwise, maybe skip it and stick to something a bit more kinetic. It isn't bad, exactly. It just feels like it was filmed in a library.