Fedja Stukan is a marvel of sadness and pragmatism. Mélanie Thierry, annoying throughout most of the film, finds the character growth necessary to go from rigid to sympathetic. When onscreen, you only see him regardless of the beauty of his female costars. That the tension exists keeps the film moving, just not moving fast or purposefully enough.Īlex Catalán’s cinematography is first rate as he captures both the breathtaking beauty of the landscape when seen from afar and the sordid reality of the open wound that the villages have become.īenicio del Toro was an inspired choice to lead the cast for even in an underdeveloped script his charisma carries him through. Originally a documentary filmmaker, Aranoa is lacking in the story structure necessary to build tension, both internally between characters and externally from physical threat. Sadly, as with many passion projects, Aranoa goes off in too many directions with too many characters and to little structure. Slow getting off the ground as Aranoa attempts to build character, although no one ever really rises above archetype, the film begins to improve as the stakes are more clearly illustrated and the internecine politics rear their heads. He is accompanied by his resigned interpreter Damir (Stukan). Add to this mix “B,” who, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, or at least he thinks he can, is a hot dog and rogue humanitarian. Mambrú’s life is further complicated by the arrival of Katya (Kurylenko), his former lover. That there are other, equally important tasks awaiting them is of no consequence to her and this uncompromising attitude in the face of denial only increases the insurmountability of her goal. Her only goal is to get the body removed and the water processed. A water expert, she realizes instantly that the corpse that has been discovered in a village’s well has made it undrinkable and a potential source of infection. Sophie has the zealotry often found in the idealistic and is single-minded in her vision. He is tasked with trying to mentor the very emotional newbie Sophie (Thierry) before he returns home. Mambrú, portrayed by the very charismatic del Toro, is on one of his last tours. Certainly missions such as the one portrayed here are peopled with zealous missionaries, misfits and bureaucrats such as these, although probably not as telegenic. They run into roadblocks at every turn, whether from UN soldiers, local warring factions, Serbian soldiers secretly still carrying on their Bosnian genocide despite a cease fire or even aid workers within their own group.Īranoa assembled an all-star cast including Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins, Spanish/French actor Sergi Lopez, Russian beauty Olga Kurylenko, Bosnian Fedja Stukan and French rising star Mélanie Thierry. De Aranoa also served as one of the producers, indicating how passionately he felt about this project that illustrates the political, logistical and emotional difficulties encountered every day by a group of international humanitarian aid workers trying to sort through the chaos of the Balkan war and bring much needed assistance. “A Perfect Day” is a truly international co-production directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and written by Aranoa and Diego Farias. Mélanie Thierry (Sophie), Olga Kurylenko (Katya), Eldar Residovic (Nikola) and Benicio del Toro (Mambrú) in Fernando León de Aranoa’s A PERFECT DAY.
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