The Club (2015 film)

The Club
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPablo Larraín
Written by
  • Guillermo Calderón
  • Pablo Larraín
  • Daniel Villalobos
Produced by
  • Juan de Dios Larraín
  • Pablo Larraín
Starring
  • Roberto Farías
  • Antonia Zegers
CinematographySergio Armstrong
Edited bySebastián Sepúlveda
Music byCarlos Cabezas
Release dates
  • 9 February 2015 (2015-02-09) (Berlin)
  • 28 May 2015 (2015-05-28) (Chile)
Running time
97 minutes[1]
CountryChile
LanguageSpanish
Box office$483,222[2]

The Club (Spanish: El Club) is a 2015 Chilean drama film directed, co-produced and co-written by Pablo Larraín. It was screened in the main competition of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival[3] where it won the Jury Grand Prix.[4] It was selected as the Chilean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.[5]

Plot

[edit]

Four retired Catholic priests share a secluded house on the outskirts of a small Chilean beach town under the supervision of a vigilant female caretaker who used to be a nun. The four men are there to discreetly purge their alleged sins and crimes, including child abuse, baby-snatching for adoptions, and whistleblowing. They are not permitted to mingle with the townsfolk and are only allowed out during early morning and late night. Their only hobby is breeding a racing dog and entering competitions. Their routine changes when a new priest arrives, and a victim of his child abuse follows him, leading the priest to commit suicide. Subsequently, a new spiritual director arrives, disrupting their lives and routine.

Cast

[edit]

Reception

[edit]

The film was well received, with The Guardian giving it five stars and said Pablo Larraín was "at his most masterful".[6] Variety called it "an original and brilliantly acted chamber drama in which Larrain’s fiercely political voice comes through as loud and clear as ever".[7]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 88% score based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 7.86/10. The site's consensus states: "The Club finds director Pablo Larraín continuing to pose difficult questions while exploring weighty themes -- and getting the most out of a talented cast."[8] Metacritic reports a 73 out of 100 score based on 26 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]

Awards

[edit]
Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2015 65th Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Pablo Larraín Nominated [10]
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize Won
73rd Golden Globe Awards Best Foreign Language Film The Club Nominated [11]
2016 Apolo Awards Best Film The Club Nominated [12][13]
Best Director Pablo Larraín Won
Best Original Screenplay Guillermo Calderón, Pablo Larraín and Daniel Villalobos Nominated
Best Editing Sebastián Sepúlveda Nominated
Best Sound Miguel Hormazábal, Roberto Zuñiga, Ivo Moraga, Salomé Román and Mauricio Molina Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Roberto Farías Won
Alfredo Castro Nominated
Best Ensemble Cast Roberto Farías, Antonia Zegers, Alfredo Castro, Alejandro Goic, Alejandro Sieveking, Jaime Vadell and Marcelo Alonso Nominated

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Club (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  2. ^ "The Club (2016) - International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Berlinale 2015: Competition Complete". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Prizes of the International Jury". Berlinale. Archived from the original on 16 December 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  5. ^ Mango, Agustin (9 September 2015). "Oscars: Chile Selects 'The Club' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  6. ^ Berlin 2015 - The Guardian review The Guardian, 10 February 2015 retrieved on 7 March 2015
  7. ^ Berlin film 2015 - Variety review Scott Foundas, Chief Film Critic Variety retrieved on 7 March 2015
  8. ^ "The Club (El Club) (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  9. ^ "The Club reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Berlin Film Festival: Panahi's Taxi wins Golden Bear". BBC News. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Golden Globes 2016: Nominations in full". BBC News. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  12. ^ "Las mejores películas de temática LGTB del 2015: ganadores de los I Premios Apolo de cine LGTB". dosmanzanas (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Las mejores películas de temática LGTB del 2015: nominaciones de los I Premios Apolo de cine LGTB". dosmanzanas (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2022.
[edit]