The One-Handed Trick

The One-Handed Trick
SpanishEl truco del manco
Directed bySantiago A. Zannou
Screenplay by
  • Santiago A. Zannou
  • Iván Morales
Starring
CinematographyAlbert Pascual
Edited byJaume Martí
Music byWoulfrank Zannou
Production
company
Media Films
Release dates
  • September 2008 (2008-09) (Zinemaldia)
  • 16 January 2009 (2009-01-16) (Spain)
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

The One-Handed Trick (Spanish: El truco del manco) is a 2008 Spanish film directed by Santiago A. Zannou, which stars Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui" alongside Ovono Candela.

Plot

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The plot follows the attempts of two friends, Adolfo (hooked on heroin) and El Cuajo (a disabled man), of setting up a hip hop recording studio.[1][2]

Cast

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Production

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The One-Handed Trick was produced by Media Films, and it had the participation of TVE.[6] Filming took place in locations belonging to the outskirts of Barcelona, including La Mina [es].[8]

Release

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The film screened at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2008.[9] It was theatrically released in Spain on 16 January 2009.

Reception

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Mirito Torreiro of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting "Zannou's rigor in building the story" as the best thing about the film, while citing a degree of "obviousness in the drawing of some characters" as a negative point.[4]

Jonathan Holland of Variety considered that the film——"a too-rare incursion by Spanish film into the coarse realities of multiculturalism on its cities' outskirts"—features "a crudely makeshift feel that suits its subject".[6]

Irene Crespo of Cinemanía rated it 3 out of 5 stars, considering that Zannou, "with few resources, without professional actors, but with a lot of enthusiasm, and at a rap rhythm", managed to craft "an undeceptive portrait of the reality of any city's slums"[3]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2009 23rd Goya Awards Best New Director Santiago A. Zannou Won [10]
Best New Actor Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui" Won
Best Original Song Woulfrank Zannou, Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui" Won

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "'El truco del manco', candidata a tres Goyas, refleja el esfuerzo y los intentos de superación de los marginados". Europa Press. 9 January 2009.
  2. ^ Elena, Alberto; Martín Morán, Ana (2016). "Transnational Contours and Representation Models in Recent Films about Immigration in Spain". In Oliete-Aldea, Elena; Oria, Beatriz; Tarancón, Juan A. (eds.). Global Genres, Local Films: The Transnational Dimension of Spanish Cinema. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-5013-0298-5.
  3. ^ a b Crespo, Irene (16 January 2009). "El truco del manco". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  4. ^ a b Torreiro, Mirito (9 January 2009). "El truco del manco". Fotogramas.
  5. ^ a b Daura 2009, p. 254.
  6. ^ a b c d e Holland, Jonathan (29 September 2008). "The One-Handed Trick". Variety.
  7. ^ Daura, Miquel (2009). "El truco del manco. Un ejemplo de plan de marketing". Distribución y marketing cinematográfico. Manual de primeros auxilios. Barcelona: Publicacions i Edicions. Universidad de Barcelona. p. 254. ISBN 978-84-475-3404-3.
  8. ^ Elena & Martín Morán 2016, pp. 218.
  9. ^ Sendrós, Parana (23 September 2008). "San Sebastián: la hora española". Ámbito.
  10. ^ "El truco del manco". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 14 July 2022.