As happens with many movies nowadays, this one shuns the traditional script with one or two main stories in favor of the multi-story kind of script. We are presented with bits and pieces of the intertwining stories of some two dozen or more people, during 1950 in Madrid. In my opinion the use of this kind of script, no longer a novelty, is becoming tiresome lately. This movie in particular abuses of it. There are far too many characters and stories, and in the end no one of them has a chance to become especially interesting. The movie tries too hard to include every kind of story, every kind of situation, every kind of character, every kind social class, every kind of political view, becoming too long and boring in the end. And by trying to populate the movie with dozens of Spanish stars, as if to offset the script's deficiencies, it becomes pretentious. It could be interesting to watch it only f you're interested in having a glimpse of the not-so-bright life in Madrid during the 50s, although there could be better movies for this.
I wouldn't like to end this commentary without mentioning the actress playing the old destitute lady. I don't know the name of the actress, but she seems to have so many face- lifts that hardly fits the part of an old beggar in 1950 Madrid !.
