A Comparison and Contrast Between Flowers from Another World Ad Hi, Ar

ENGLISH COMPARATIVE ESSAY

ASSINGMENT II

‘A comparison and contrast between “Flowers from another world” and “Hi, are you alone?”’

This essay will attempt to compare and contrast two films directed by Spanish director actress Iciar Bollain. The films to be compared and contrasted are “Hi, are you alone? (“Hola,estas sola?”) and “Flowers from another world” (“Flores de otro mundo”). The most apparent reason for comparing and contrasting these two films is that both focus their attention on women’s affairs and behaviours in today’s Spanish society, both display similarities in their content but most important is the differences that one may find in the portrayal of women the director seems to be interested in.

A) “Hi, are you alone?”:

Trini and La Niсa are the same age: 20, and have the same uncomplicated way of going about things, they simply go ahead and do them. The two girls also share the lack of a mother. During their trip, they share everything, including Olaf, a Russian who knows not a word of Spanish and with whom La Niсa has an affair. They have a mutual letdown: Marilo. La Niсa finds love and loses it, finds her mother to lose her again, but also finds a friend, Trini, whom she is certainly not about to lose. This is film is regarded by many critics as an enchanting road movie about being a woman, being young, love and frienship is the first directorial work by Iciar Bollain. In this opera prima, Iciar shows her ability to direct actors, especially her two leading actresses, but it is in her handling of a story told so many times before (two girlfriends on the road has been the theme everywhere, who can forget Thelma and Louise!) and thus making look so fresh and original that her directorial talent is revealed. She has managed to capture, not the loss of innocence, but the gaining of maturity, the moment when we learn which things we can change and which we cannot.

In this film we do not find a false step since the fraternal relationship between the two young women is very cleverly constructed and transmitted to the audience. We also feel that the two leading actresses, Silke and Candela Pena are up to the level of the rest of the film.

B) “Flowers from another world”:

A bus load of women arrive at a bachelor ceremony in a dying Spanish village in hopes of marrying men that can support them and in some cases, their children. Patricia (Lissete Mejia) from the Dominican Republic hopes to marry a man who will support her and her children and allow her permanent residence in Spain. It's unclear why Marirrosi (Elena Irureta) takes part in the bachelor

celebration since she appears to be gainfully employed and she appears to be content with her life as a single woman while Milady (Marilin Torres) from Cuba wishes for liberation. All three women find themselves entrapped in uncomfortable situations with their male companions and the drama in the film revolves around the tensions caused by their relationships. The desperate women are unable to communicate their needs to their partners for the most part or in the case of Marirrosi, is unable to sacrifice her life in the city and move to the village and marry the villager Alfonso (Chete Lera). The actors deliver compelling performances as they flesh out their characters. The strikingly beautiful Lissete Mejia plays the role of Patricia with controlled grace while Cuban actress Marilin Torres exudes sex appeal and a wild . In this film Iciar Bollain once again tells a believable and disheartening story. Although the rhythm of the film may seem slow, the director strikes the audience with powerful and emotive scenes and vibrant images which allow viewers to become fully involved with the entire drama that embodies this story.

Similarities between the two films:

 I) The plot: Both films discuss social issues in a detailed manner. They both present us with an environment where women are at its centre despite the fact that the director is a woman herself, one never gets the impression that she depicts women and their relationship with society in a subjective way, moreover this is a characteristic of Iciar’s films that she remains neutral when judging the situations her female characters experience. Both plots have a vast amount of drama in their content making common for the audience to expect emotional and passionate scenes where becomes clear that the director is an expert in obtaining the very best of every actor in her films.

 II) The Characters: Both films have different portrayals of women, there are female characters