CLANDESTINOS - DVD review

Spanish drama "Clandestinos" has exactly one thing going for it: while the main character is gay, the film doesn't make an issue out of his sexuality. Rather, it is only a part of who he is and does not rule his every move. That is the only positive in the ultimately forgettable 84-minute movie.

After Xabi (Israel Rodriguez) and two friends escape from a juvenile detention facility, they form a brilliant plan to find his former lover and terrorist leader Inaki (Luis Hostalot). The idea is to earn their stripes fighting for Basque independence with the ETA, otherwise known as "Basque Homeland and Freedom." None of them count on two women becoming mixed up in their lives or Inaki shunning Xabi.

Outside of a languid pace and uncompelling characters, a major problem in co-writer/director Antonio Hens' film is its stubborn refusal to explain exactly what Basque and the ETA actually is to the audience. To be perfectly fair, this is a Spanish film designed for a Spanish audience who would be well versed in Spanish politics and history. Yet international audiences aren't so lucky. There are references to independence and freedom and terrorism, but what do these people believe? What do they stand for? We never really get to know since the script doesn't care to tell us. Simply put, the Basque county is an area of land between France and Spain. The chief aim of the ETA is to achieve independence away from the control of any other organization.

Now, would that have been so hard to mention in a line or two of dialogue?

Anyway, without this frame of reference, American audiences have no connection to the actions on the screen. Outside of "independence," what are the goals of these supposed terrorists? How is the network formed? How did Xabi get entangled with them? (A brief flashback begins to tell the story.) "Clandestinos" doesn't care about any of that in favor of out of place comedy at the expense of the everyone on screen. If the idea is to lighten the mood by showing Xabi and Driss (Mehroz Arif) blowing up a kitchen by making explosives, it doesn't work. Not in this kind of movie. Personally, there isn't much humor in terrorist activities.

It's almost as if Hens knows this criticism will be leveled at the film and doesn't care. There is a slow, almost dream-like quality to the editing and storytelling, meandering through paper thin relationships until we get to the obligatory ending. He doesn't do anything of note with the camera nor does he take the story in an original direction. It just sits there, hoping the audience gets a cheap laugh from a recurring "Driss is hung" joke or sympathizes with Xabi's plight.

We don't in either regard for one obvious reason: we don't care about these people. They're not real in any sense of the word; overly inflated caricatures is more like it. How is it Rebeca (Inma Cuevas) can stomach being friends with someone who calls her fat on at least two occasions? Why does Marta (Pepa Aniorte) become infatuated with Joel (Hugo Catalan) almost immediately? And, by god, how can the cops not recapture these three teenagers when they brazenly walk the streets without a care in the world?

Some sidestory about Xabi robbing a john he picked up in the mall and this older man seemingly falling in love with him is hogwash. Their relationship doesn't make any sense in practical terms. For example: he's a police chief, Xabi is the bad guy. The maddening thing is it appears as though they continue together long after the movie ends. Are they that desperate for companionship or to get off they can't keep their hands off of one another?

I've mentioned the pacing a couple of times now. Most shots are composed without any sense of urgency, as if the camera is in a dream-like state following the action just like a documentary. During the jailbreak, you'd expect quick cuts or some handheld work…there is none. Even in the finale, with gunshots and blood, the action limply unfolds on the screen. I'm not advocating adding unnecessary pizzazz in the form of attention-grabbing crane shots or even the hyper-kinetic shooting style of "ER" or "Alien vs. Predator." Hens, in conjunction with editor Julio Gutierrez, should have recognize every scene lacks emotion and "oomph" at some point in post-production.

In the end, "Clandestinos" tries to do too much and succeeds in doing none of it particularly well. A political film? It leaves out all the connective tissue for the Basque story. A bad boy gone good fairy tale? We don't buy the conversion will last. A gay romance? There's not a lot of romance-traditional or otherwise.

VIDEO:
We don't see very many non-anamorphic widescreen discs on the market anymore, but this is one of those times. The windowboxed 1.85:1 image is natural-looking with a washed out or drained feeling. Colors rarely pop on the screen-even bright green-and there is little differentiation between one shot and the next. Blacks are good enough while it is impossible to judge the fleshtones, based on the artistic choices made by Hens. If it weren't for the lack of anamorphic enhancement, this would be a high quality transfer.

AUDIO:
After noting the film isn't anamorphic, I guess it shouldn't be surprising to know the Spanish language track is presented in a 2.0 flavor only. Not that the material demands a surround edition, but, again, this movie was made two years ago. 5.1 should be a given on current productions. Despite that issue, I couldn't find a whole lot wrong with the mix. Dialogue, sound effects and the score are all at appropriate levels and there is no obstruction for those elements. There is a slight hum in certain scenes, though you're not likely to notice. The English subtitles are automatic and can not be turned off.

EXTRAS:
At the outset, trailers for TLA Releasing, "Schoolboy Crush," "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild," "3-Day Weekend," "Boystown" and "Bangkok Love Story." They are also available-aside from the first-from the main menu. A sub-60 second stills gallery (11 shots) is included; all are in fullscreen format and the feature automatically advances. There are 12 chapters.

PARTING THOUGHTS:
A missed opportunity to meld a gay love story with political action and education, "Clandestinos" needed a steadier hand behind the camera for the hybrid story to work. It tries, to be fair, but the finished product can never rise above itself.