Chicken Skin (film)

Chicken Skin
Theatrical release poster
Spanish	Carne de gallina
Directed by	Javier Maqua
Screenplay by	Maxi Rodríguez Javier Maqua
Produced by	Eduardo Campoy J. Alberto Tellería
Starring	Karra Elejalde Anabel Alonso Nathalie Seseña Amparo Valle Txema Blasco Maxi Rodríguez
Cinematography	Juan Carlos Gómez
Edited by	Luisma del Valle
Music by	Mario de Benito
Production companies	Último Pase Cartel
Distributed by	Lauren Film
Release dates	30 November 2001 (2001-11-30) (FICX) 1 February 2002 (2002-02-01) (Spain)
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

Chicken Skin (Spanish: Carne de gallina) is a 2001 Spanish black comedy film directed by Javier Maqua [es] from a screenplay by Maqua and Maxi Rodríguez. Its cast features Karra Elejalde, Anabel Alonso, Nathalie Seseña, Amparo Valle, Txema Blasco, and Maxi Rodríguez.

Plot

Set in a mining town in Asturias,[1] the plot follows the family of a retired miner, Luisón Quirós. After Luisón dies in a brothel, the family members try to conceal the news and the corpse as they are economically dependent on the subsidies earned by Luisón.[2]

Cast

• Txema Blasco as Luisón[3]
• Karra Elejalde as Gelín[3]
• Isabel Ordaz as Carmen[3]
• Anabel Alonso as Ágata[4]
• Nathalie Seseña as Adelina[4]
• Amparo Valle[5]
• Maxi Rodríguez as Cefe[4]

Production

The film was produced by Último Pase and Cartel and it had the additional participation of TVE and Vía Digital [es].[3] It boasted a €1.9 million budget.[1] It was shot in Mieres, Asturias in 2000.[1]

Release

The film screened as the closing film of the 39th Gijón International Film Festival (FICX) in November 2001.[6] Distributed by Lauren Film,[3] it was released theatrically in Spain on 1 February 2002.[7]

Reception

Jonathan Holland of Variety deemed the "delightfully oddball, bad-taste comedy with a political point" to be "a surprise pleasure".[3]

José Luis Sánchez Noriega [es] considered that despite the film falling short of being exceptional, "Spanish film buffs will be pleased" by the film for how "it cultivates the literary, theatrical and filmic vein of black humor" along the lines of Berlanga or Buñuel.[2]

See also

• List of Spanish films of 2002

References

1. "Maqua refleja la minería asturiana 'a la manera de Ken Loach'". El País. 25 January 2002.
2. Sánchez Noriega, José Luis (2002). "Carne de gallina: El valor del difunto. (Javier Maqua, 2002)". Críticas del cine español. Alicante: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes.
3. Holland, Jonathan (15 March 2002). "Chicken Skin". Variety.
4. "Carne de Gallina". Cine y Teatro. 15 September 2020.
5. "'Carne de gallina', en Historia de nuestro cine". Diez Minutos. 5 April 2018.
6. "El estreno de 'Carne de gallina' clausura la 39ª edición del Festival de Gijón". El Mundo. 1 December 2001.
7. "Carne de gallina". Fotogramas. 29 May 2008.