The Hanged Man (2009 film)

The Hanged Man
Theatrical release poster
Spanish	El juego del ahorcado
Directed by	Manuel Gómez Pereira
Screenplay by	Manuel Gómez Pereira Salvador García Ruiz
Based on	El juego del ahorcado by Imma Turbau
Starring	Clara Lago Álvaro Cervantes Adriana Ugarte Abel Folk Victoria Pagés Víctor Valdivia Boris Ruiz Àngels Bassas Mary Murray
Production companies	Amigo PC Lenon Producciones Ovideo TV Subotica Entertainment
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date	30 January 2009 (2009-01-30) (Spain)
Countries	Spain Ireland
Languages	Spanish English

The Hanged Man (Spanish: El juego del ahorcado) is a 2009 Spanish-Irish thriller and romantic drama film directed by Manuel Gómez Pereira which stars Clara Lago and Álvaro Cervantes.

Plot

Set in 1989 Girona,[1] the fiction tracks the romance between two childhood friends (Sandra and Álvaro),[2] as the teenage years deepen the pre-existing relationship into something closer.[3]

Cast

• Clara Lago as Sandra[3]
• Álvaro Cervantes as David[3]
• Adriana Ugarte as Olga[3]
• Abel Folk [es] as Sandra's father[3]
• Victòria Pagès [es] as Sandra's mother[3]
• Víctor Valdivia as Sandra's brother[3]
• Boris Ruiz [ca] as David's father[3]
• Àngels Bassas [ca] as David's mother[3]
• Mary Murray as Margaret[3]

Production

An adaptation of Imma Turbau [ca]'s El juego del ahorcado, the screenplay was penned by Manuel Gómez Pereira and Salvador García Ruiz [es].[1] A Spanish-Irish co-production, the film was produced by Amigo PC, Lenon Producciones, Ovideo TV, and Subotica Entertainment,[4] and it had the participation of TVE and TVC.[5] Shooting locations included Girona, Barcelona, and Ireland.[1]

Release

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing,[2] the film was theatrically released in Spain on 30 January 2009.

Reception

Mirito Torreiro of Fotogramas rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, praising the director's change of register, also writing that the film "draws a more than convincing portrait of young people devoured by sexual awakening and the desire for possession".[6]

Jonathan Holland of Variety deemed the "flawed but intriguing" film to be "a quietly intense thriller that sees the helmer abandoning his comedies" "for something meatier".[5]

David Bernal of Cinemanía rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be a "flawed drama", also pointing out that, deep down, the authorship should be attributed to Salvador García Ruiz rather than to Gómez Pereira, as "everything in this provincial teenage romance narrated in fits and starts connects with [García Ruiz's] oppressive and intimate universe".[7]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2009	23rd Goya Awards	Best New Actor	Álvaro Cervantes	Nominated	[4]
		Best Original Score	Bingen Mendizábal	Nominated

See also

• List of Spanish films of 2009

References

1. "Los dolores e impulsos de la adolescencia protagonizan 'El juego del ahorcado', que opta a dos Goyas". Europa Press. 26 January 2009.
2. Ríos Pérez, Sergio (30 January 2009). "Llega a los cines lo nuevo de Manuel Gómez Pereira". Cineuropa.
3. "El joc del penjat". Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals. 19 May 2011.
4. "El juego del ahorcado". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
5. Holland, Jonathan (3 March 2009). "The Hanged Man". Variety.
6. Torreiro, Mirito (15 January 2009). "El juego del ahorcado. Para interesados en peripecias juveniles". Fotogramas.
7. Bernal, David (29 January 2009). "El juego del ahorcado". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.