Little Ashes

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Released in 2008, the film Little Ashes revolves around an 18 year old man named Salvador Dali who has just arrived in Madrid for university at a time when tradition and the past are in conflict with innovation and the future. Little does he know that his own life will soon reflect these very same disagreements and changes.

This film moves homosexuality into the spotlight and shows the audience the deeper and more meaningful aspects of what any relationship might grow into. Salvador Dali is imbibed with an interesting mix of nihilistic exhibitionist tendencies and a seemingly contradictory shyness that at times overwhelms him. But this mix of personalities is exactly what leads the story down a deeper path, as the school’s upper elite begin to notice this man named Salvador. The elites, Federico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunel, invite Salvador into their youthful hedonism, and the three of them become a formidable trio throughout the city of Madrid, famous for their exploits and sexual deviancy.

Determined to make himself a true artist, Salvador doesn’t forget his goals. But as time goes on, Salvador’s attraction to his friend Frederico grows, and along with this passion grows a connection that neither of them (nor the audience) might have imagined. And rather than negatively affect his life, the relationships begin to have a positive effect on his work.

Frederico is an ever more well-known poet, and the mixes of art, love, and the frightening, sensual care of the three to one another allows the smooth transition from friends to lovers.

Themes throughout the film develop quickly, with secrets and dreams and inspirations spiraling sometimes beyond what some people might be able to keep track of. Not only are there deep innuendos of love, but the surrounding countryside, and eventually that of France, close this story within a deep cocoon of warmth, idealism, and hope.

What began as a personal dream of studying at university soon breaks into a fractious (then not so fractious) theme of breaking outside the box, going against the tide of society, and achieving the goals one sets for oneself. This film is a must-see for anyone interested in the battle against societal norms or just those looking for a leading voice in the fight for equality. Little Ashes is a film that will leave you breathless and wishing the plot might extend a little further, to give you just one more glimpse of the brave lives led by these special individuals. Directed by Paul Morrison, this English film won a GLAAD Media Award and stars Javier Beltrán and Robert Pattinson.