The Stone Raft (2002)

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

A Brilliant Conflict

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Of course the Iberian peninsula can never be physical separated from the European continent. At least not until the end of the world anyway. But this films by director George Sluizer tells a story based on this impossible scenario. Not credible and silly you say, but once you push aside this critique the film actually is fun to watch.The protagonists are two women and three men, augmented by the presence of a dog. There is human interaction among them, and love, and isolation. You can tell only Europe will produce a film of this nature. I have watched it twice over a course of three years and enjoyed it each time. I will recommend this film to lovers of international cinema for sure.

Unexpected things are seen happening all over the Iberian peninsula. In Spain, Jose, a school teacher, sees a flock of starlings flying overhead; the birds seem to follow him. Joaquim, who has been fishing, returns home and throws a stone to the sea, and instead of sinking, it is seen jumping over the water. Pedro, a pharmacist, senses how the earth trembles. Joana tries to erase a line on the earth, but it keeps reappearing.All of these characters plus Maria, are drawn together as these phenomena is playing a big part in their world. Maria, who has a small farm, is the only one who has her feet on the ground and acts as a steady influence. From Portugal to Spain, the five new friends embark in a journey of discovery as they try to comprehend what is going on. Supposedly, the Iberian peninsula will crash against the Azores islands as Iberia is moving southward. Upon reaching the Pyrinees, the group finds out they have been separated by the rest of Europe and that France really has never existed! George Sluizer's take on the Jose Samarango's enigmatic novel presents the viewer with a lot of ideas. The mere idea of the separation of the Iberian peninsula is preposterous, but in Samarango's view, he might feel they are all alone, or a land surrounded by water from all sides.Federico Luppi is Pedro, an older man whose life is drawing to a close. Mr. Luppi, one of the best actors working in Spanish cinema makes an impression with this enigmatic man. Iciar Bollain, is Maria. Gabino Diego, Ana Padrao and Daogo Infante, are seen as the other members of the wandering quintet.The film is full of symbolism that will be lost to anyone viewing the film as entertainment. Mr. Samarago is showing us how myths and superstitions can take us in a different direction. Mr. Sluizer directed with an eye for detail in presenting this story.

The anecdote of Saramago's novel may be novel in his hands, but that is because of his prose, his talent or his Nobel status. The adaptation origin of this movie is terrible. First is full of technical errors, continuity to start. Second problem is the dialogue. Every time Luppi speaks is to mouth a sentence. For a moment it seems Sluizer has a problem understanding Spanish, specially since all the actors lines are spoken in a stiff robotic manner. The mass chaos images are the saddest note. When the crowd is supposedly driven by panic, to catch a few extras laughing doesn't help the trick. The contrived plot is the last item This one I suffered until the end: the peninsula as a middle step between America and Europe may sound good in a high-school essay, but as the chore of the plot is a very poor excuse. I expected more from the director of The Vanishing (I should have remembered that he directed Crimetime too).

The story itself out of the brilliant imagination of Nobel price winner José Saramago is for sure very interesting, specially if your are somehow related to the culture of Portugal and Spain: The entire Iberian peninsula cracks off the European continent and starts to float on the ocean. A couple of people that are somehow in a strange way related to the event join together to... well - that is the point. It does not get clear what they are actually trying to find. They are travelling through Portugal and Spain, there are some interesting events and even some relationships, but the true mystery is not solved or even investigated by them. At the same time the story develops a little bit too slow. The jokes that are introduced into the film seem a little bit forced (e.g. the running joke with the 2CV). The question why all this happens remains unanswered until the end. The film is not perfect, but still I do not regret that I watched it. Maybe the film was designed for people that read the book, I will read it and this will hopefully help me to see also the film in a different light.