Mensaka
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Mensaka poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| native_name = {{Infobox name module|es|Mensaka, páginas de una historia|nolink=yes}}
| director = Salvador García Ruiz
| producer = {{ubl|Gerardo Herrero|Javier López Blanco}}
| screenplay = Salvador García Ruiz
| based_on = {{Based on|Mensaka|José Ángel Mañas}}
| starring = {{ubl|Gustavo Salmerón|Tristán Ulloa|Adrià Collado|Laia Marull|María Esteve|Lola Dueñas|Guillermo Toledo}}
| cinematography = Teo Delgado
| editing = Carmen Frías
| music = Pascal Gaigne
| released = {{Film date|1998|04|30|df=yes}}
| studio = Tornasol Films
| distributor = Alta Films
| country = Spain
| language = Spanish
}}
Mensaka ({{langx|es|Mensaka, páginas de una historia|links=no}}; {{translation|'Mensaka, Pages from a Story'}}) is a 1998 Spanish drama film written and directed by Salvador García Ruiz (in his directorial feature debut) consisting of an adaptation of the novel Mensaka by José Ángel Mañas. It stars Gustavo Salmerón, Tristán Ulloa, Adrià Collado, Laia Marull, María Esteve, Lola Dueñas and Guillermo Toledo.
Plot
The plot focus on a group of young people belonging to different social classes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fotogramas.es/peliculas-criticas/a10167/mensaka-paginas-de-una-historia/|website=Fotogramas|title=Mensaka, páginas de una historia|date=29 May 2008}} It tracks the relationships between David and Fran (who both play in an underground rock band in Madrid alongside Javi) with their girlfriends Bea and Natalia as well as the mishaps of Javi and romantic interest Cristina.{{Sfn|Marr|2013|p=16}} Meanwhile, Laura, Javi's little sister, has formed a gang and deals drugs.{{Sfn|Maíllo Baz|2021|p=119}}
Cast
{{Cast listing|
- Gustavo Salmerón as David{{Sfn|Marr|2013|p=19}}
- Tristán Ulloa as Javi{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/mensaka-1200454041/#!|website=Variety|date=15 July 1998|first=Jonathan|last=Holland|title=Mensaka}}
- Adrià Collado as Fran
- Laia Marull as Bea
- María Esteve as Natalia
- Lola Dueñas as Cristina
- Guillermo Toledo as Ricardo
- Sandra Rodríguez as Laura
- Ginés García Millán as Ramón{{Cite book|title=Cine español de los 90. Diccionario de películas, directores y temático|first=Francisco María|last=Benavent|year=2000|isbn=84-271-2326-4|location=Bilbao|publisher=Ediciones Mensajero|page=385}}
}}
Production
The film was produced by Tornasol Films and it had the participation of TVE.
Release
Reception
Jonathan Holland of Variety deemed the film to be "a gritty, compassionate study of post-adolescent life in contemporary Spain", and "a good showcase for young local acting talent".
Ángel Fernández-Santos of El País gave a positive review and highlighted the craft of Salvador García in his debut film (managing to uplift a "storyline of little substance") and the performances of Salmerón, Ulloa, Marull and Dueñas.{{Cite web|url=https://elpais.com/diario/1998/05/03/cultura/894146406_850215.html|website=El País|title=Otro brote de talento|date=3 May 1998}}
The "unapologetic brand of female adolescent subjectivity" represented by the character of Laura (Javi's "demonic little sister"), displaying a take on the wild child archetype, has been drawn out as a highlight of "an unexpectedly striking movie" by Matthew J. Marr.{{Sfn|Marr|2013|p=16; 19}}
José Angel Mañas commented that, out of all the transpositions of his works, Mensaka was the one he liked the most.{{Sfn|Maíllo Baz|2021|p=107}}
Accolades
{{Awards table|5}}
|-
| align = "center" rowspan = "3" | 1999 || rowspan = "3" | 13th Goya Awards || Best Adapted Screenplay || Salvador García Ruiz || {{won}} || rowspan = "3" | {{Cite book|chapter=Appendix B: Goya Awards (Premios Goya)|page=473–474|title=The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Spanish Films|editor-first=Salvador|editor-last=Jimenez Murguía|editor-first2=Alex|editor-last2=Pinar|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781442271333|year=2018}}
|-
| Best New Director || Salvador García Ruiz || {{nom}}
|-
| Best New Actor || Tristán Ulloa || {{nom}}
|}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{Cite journal|url=https://www.uco.es/ucopress/ojs/index.php/Esferas/article/view/13309|publisher=UCO Press|location=Córdoba|title=De la novela al cine: la derrota del punk en «Mensaka» (José Ángel Mañas y Salvador García Ruiz)|first=Diego |last=Maíllo Baz|journal=Esferas Literarias|volume=4|year=2021|pages=107–122|issn=2659-4218}}
- {{Cite book|title=The Politics of Age and Disability in Contemporary Spanish Film. Plus Ultra Pluralism|first=Matthew J.|last=Marr|location=New York and London|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|chapter=The "Angry Girl" in Mensaka, Páginas de una historia|pages=|isbn=978-0-415-80836-1}}
{{authority control}}
Category:1990s Spanish-language films