Cinema: 7 vírgenes (7 Virgins) (2005)
Another world premiere, this time at Paramount Cinema downtown. 7 vírgenes (Alberto Rodríguez) takes place in Seville, Spain, and is a coming-of-age film about a teenager named Tano who has a 48-hour pass from juvenile detention hall so that he can attend his brother’s wedding. The tone is set fairly early on as his brother drops him off somewhere after driving him from the centre and ironically says, “Stay out of trouble.”
Tano vows to do as much on his leave as he can’t do in the detention centre. He bums around with his friend as well as his girlfriend, and actually does attend his brother’s wedding. What makes this film riveting is that during these few hours of freedom, Tano become a man. And no, his becoming a man has nothing to do with what you think the title means.
I really liked the way that Rodríguez told a lot of stories by allusion. You never find out exactly what happened to land Tano into the juvenile hall - there is a brief conversation about an accident, which ends abruptly. Also, Tano’s older brother, the one to be married, seems to be struggling with his own situation and I think that he, possibly against his will, lives vicariously through Tano.
The director was present for this debut screening, as well as the two main actors. Juan José Ballesta, who plays Tano, was the only one who spoke English; the other two were aided by a translator. A large chunk of the audience spoke Spanish. The young actor who plays Tano is apparently a Spanish star, and at 18 years old has appeared in over eight feature films.
Rodríguez explained that “7 vírgenes” refers to a ritual in which a near-adult adolescent counts to sixty while standing in front of a mirror in a room lit only by two candles. If done correctly, the reflection will tell you about your future life as an adult. He used this as a coming-of-age motif, as one of the scenes depicts a character attempting it (curiously, it is the character who seems like he isn’t ready to grow up). The director also said that he wanted to show the “real” part of Seville - not just what you see on vacation or in magazines. The film had a beautiful grainy resolution as well as some great shots.
I noticed a few similarities to Truffaut’s definitively French New Wave Les quatre cents coups (The 400 Blows) - I wasn’t surprised when the final scene completed the film with a freeze-frame of our protagonist looking back while running.
