Friday, April 30, 2004

Why they hate us
The other day I rewatched Whit Stillman's Barcelona, which is now 10 years old, and it has held up remarkably well. In view of the recent elections in Spain and the growing anti-American sentiment worldwide, the comedy is as prescient a film as I can think of.

The movie is set during the waning days of the Cold War. Two cousins - one, a sales representative from Chicago, and the other, a naval attache - explore Barcelona's nightlife and have to deal with their fair share of anti-Americanism. Neither can understand why they're repeatedly called fascists (fasche) by the locals and therefore get into a few arguments.

The movie's dialogue makes it seem like a precursor to Wes Anderson's Rushmore, but that's just a guess.

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