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Little Ashes

2008 Spanish-British drama film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Little Ashes
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Little Ashes is a 2008 Spanish-British biographical drama film directed by Paul Morrison and written by Philippa Goslett. Set in Spain during the 1920s and 1930s, the film dramatizes the early years of three prominent figures in 20th-century art and literature: filmmaker Luis Buñuel, surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, and poet Federico García Lorca. The narrative focuses on the complex relationship between Dalí and Lorca, exploring themes of identity, artistic ambition, and forbidden love.

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The film premiered at the 16th Raindance Film Festival in London on October 7, 2008, and was released theatrically in the United States on May 8, 2009. Despite drawing attention for its subject matter and performances—particularly Pattinson’s portrayal of Dalí—it received mixed reviews from critics. The film grossed approximately $481,586 in the United States and $104,991 in Spain, culminating in a worldwide total of $767,567 against a production budget of €2.5 million.

At the 21st GLAAD Media Awards, the film won the award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release.[2]

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Plot

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In 1922, 18-year-old Salvador Dalí arrives at the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, an institution known for cultivating Spain's most promising intellectuals and artists. Determined to achieve greatness, Dalí soon forms a close bond with poet Federico García Lorca and aspiring filmmaker Luis Buñuel. The trio emerges as the nucleus of Madrid's avant-garde artistic scene.

As their creative lives flourish, tensions develop in their personal relationships. Federico begins to distance himself from Magdalena, a writer who harbors romantic feelings for him, while his connection with Dalí grows increasingly intimate. Buñuel, uncomfortable with their closeness, chooses to pursue his ambitions in Paris, leaving Dalí and Lorca to spend the summer together in Cadaqués at the Dalí family home.

Their friendship deepens into a romantic relationship, though its future remains uncertain. Buñuel returns for a visit and becomes increasingly uneasy about the nature of their bond. Struggling with his own identity and ambitions, Dalí eventually leaves for Paris, where he immerses himself in high society and begins a relationship with Gala, a married woman with a fascination for fame.

When Lorca later visits Dalí, he finds a man transformed—politically detached and emotionally distant—leaving their past connection irreparably altered.

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Cast

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Background

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The nature of the relationship between Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca has long been the subject of scholarly debate and public speculation. Little Ashes presents their bond as an emotionally intense and romantic connection that Dalí, depicted as sexually repressed, is ultimately unable to consummate.

Between 1925 and 1936, Dalí and Lorca exchanged a substantial volume of letters, which offer insight into the depth of their friendship. The Fundación Federico García Lorca in Madrid houses many of Dalí’s letters to Lorca, while the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí in Púbol preserves several of Lorca’s letters, alongside others held in private collections. It is widely accepted among biographers that Lorca was infatuated with Dalí. However, Dalí publicly denied a romantic or sexual relationship, despite acknowledging Lorca’s affections.

Dalí later remarked:

He was homosexual, as everyone knows, and madly in love with me. He tried to screw me twice .... I was extremely annoyed, because I wasn't homosexual, and I wasn't interested in giving in. Besides, it hurts. So nothing came of it. But I felt awfully flattered vis-à-vis the prestige. Deep down I felt that he was a great poet and that I owe him a tiny bit of the Divine Dalí's asshole. He eventually bagged a young girl, and she replaced me in the sacrifice. Failing to get me to put my ass at his disposal, he swore that the girl's sacrifice was matched by his own: it was the first time he had ever slept with a woman.[3][4]

Philippa Goslett, who wrote the screenplay for Little Ashes, stated in interviews that she believed the relationship did move beyond friendship:

It's clear something happened, no question... When you look at the letters it's clear something more was going on there[...] It began as a friendship, became more intimate and moved to a physical level but Dalí found it difficult and couldn't carry on. He said they tried to have sex but it hurt, so they couldn't consummate the relationship.[3]

Ian Gibson, a biographer of both men, expressed skepticism over the physical extent of their relationship, stating:

It depends on how you define an affair, he [Dalí] was terrified of being touched by anyone, so I don't think Lorca got far.[3]

The repressive social and political climate of Spain in the 1930s made open expressions of homosexuality perilous. Lorca’s sexual orientation is believed to have been a factor in his execution by Nationalist forces in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. Biographer Leslie Stainton has suggested that remarks made by his assassins referenced his sexuality.

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Production

The title of the film Little Ashes is derived from Salvador Dalí's 1927–28 painting Cenicitas (Spanish for "Little Ashes").[5][6] This artwork, created during Dalí's early explorations of surrealism, underwent several title changes: initially named The Birth of Venus, then Sterile Efforts, before settling on Cenicitas.[7] It was first exhibited on 20 March 1929 in Madrid and later featured in Dalí's solo exhibition in Paris in June 1931.[8] The painting is part of the collection at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.[7]

Cenicitas reflects Dalí's experimentation with surrealist themes, blending classical motifs with dreamlike imagery. Its evocative title and themes resonate with the film's exploration of the complex relationship between Dalí and poet Federico García Lorca.

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Release

Little Ashes had its world premiere at the 16th Raindance Film Festival in London, with a sold-out screening on 7 October 2008, followed by an added screening on 8 October due to demand. The film made its U.S. debut at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival before receiving a limited theatrical release on 8 May 2009 in 11 locations across the United States.[9]

The film was released on DVD in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2009, rated 15 by the British Board of Film Classification. The U.S. DVD release followed on 26 January 2010.[10]

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Critical reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes, Little Ashes holds a "Rotten" rating of 24% based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "It has a beautiful cast, but Little Ashes suffers from an uneven tone and a surplus of unintentionally silly moments."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[12]

Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer described the film as “a bravely earnest and gauzy bit of biography,” praising its visual aesthetic and ambition despite its narrative shortcomings.[13] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a moderate review, calling it “absorbing but not compelling.” He noted that “most of its action is inward,” focusing more on emotion and implication than plot.[14] The New York Times highlighted the film’s speculative interpretation of Dalí and Lorca’s relationship as both “its strength and its weakness,” recognizing its attempt to humanize two towering historical figures through emotional intimacy.[15]

Xan Brooks of The Guardian called the film “a discreet, diffident film about the rumored love affair between tyro artists Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca,” acknowledging its restraint but implying a lack of dramatic engagement.[16] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe criticized the film's tone, stating, “What’s intended to be a daring look at repressed sexuality, three-ways and all, has the dramatic heft of a true-love comic book.”[17] Greg Quill of the Toronto Star praised Adam Suschitzky’s cinematography but found the overall production lacking: “Even cinematographer Adam Suschitzky’s richly textured and resonantly toned cityscapes and rural scenes can’t make up for a flawed script and weak performances in what might have been a powerful historical drama.”[18]

Empire offered a lukewarm assessment, noting that Robert Pattinson “throws himself into the role” but that “the film’s po-faced solemnity stifles what could have been a genuinely radical queer period drama.”[19] Common Sense Media rated the film two out of five stars, criticizing its “melodramatic” tone and uneven pacing, though noting its educational value for mature audiences interested in LGBTQ+ history.[20]

Chris Hewitt of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote, “The movie, with its badly painted backdrops, its stiff acting and its complete lack of dramatic momentum, is embarrassing to watch.”[21] Slant Magazine was particularly harsh, describing Little Ashes as “broadstroked filmmaking at its most tedious,” and criticizing the film’s pacing and tonal inconsistency.[22]

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References

Further reading

External links

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