The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by
The film’s real triumph is in how accurately it captures the intricacies of human relationships, especially when tested.
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Spain, Argentina · 2015
1h 48m
Director Cesc Gay
Starring Ricardo Darín, Javier Cámara, Dolores Fonzi, Àlex Brendemühl
Genre Comedy, Drama
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When Julián receives an unexpected visit in Madrid from his lifelong friend, Tomás, the encounter is bittersweet. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Julián is focused on putting his affairs in order, but Tomás still grasps at hope. For days, the two men, accompanied by Julián's dog, Truman, tour the city, sharing emotional, hilarious, and heartfelt moments.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by
The film’s real triumph is in how accurately it captures the intricacies of human relationships, especially when tested.
The New York Times by Andy Webster
This well-made, low-key drama, written by Mr. Gay and Tomàs Aragay, offers some insights into terminal illness.
Cesc Gay’s wise, wistful and well-observed film about two friends enjoying a final reunion in the shadow of impending death, is by turns amusing and affecting — and quite often both at once.
The Hollywood Reporter by Jonathan Holland
It’s Gay’s most emotionally direct work to date, thoroughly shedding the clever-cleverness of some of his earlier work, and also his most accessible — a clean-lined, sensitively-written and beautifully played two-hander that tackles complex issues in a refreshingly straightforward, downbeat way.
Screen International by Lee Marshall
A genuine, likeable, loose-limbed buddy dramedy about impending death.
The Guardian by Leslie Felperin
Camara and Darin contribute outstanding work here, a beautifully meshed pair of performances that reveals nearly everything you need to know about the characters and their inner lives through exchanged looks, shrugs and the odd arched eyebrow.
Urging us to grin in the face of impending death, Truman handles grim material with grace, humour and the honesty of two old friends who tell it like it is.
The Playlist by Oktay Ege Kozak
Gay’s picture proves once again that one can construct a comedy out of such material, as long as one respects the subject matter and refrains from being gimmicky in order to feel edgy and cool.
Village Voice by Serena Donadoni
The film is restrained and observational, its impact cumulative.
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