Little Ashes

Madrid, 1922, the meeting point for the young Federico García Lorca and Salvador Dalí, and the sexual tensions between playwright and painter that come to play a part in their emotional and artistic coming of age. Well, that’s the theory in this speculative biopic whose material intrigues, but whose achievement is patchy.

Balancing the history with the drama of the relationships proves intractable, resulting in a frustratingly bitty time-structure, while the decision to shoot the film in Spanish-accented English doesn’t make the dialogue less awkward. The cast do their bit at sustaining the boho ferment, Javier Beltrán smouldering as Lorca, while ‘Twilight’ heartthrob Robert Pattinson throws himself into the extremes of the young Dalí. In the end, it doesn’t satisfy as fact-based bio or love story, but we appreciate the effort.