Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

s c This series must be the best Spanish series of the decade. Every Thursday (it's on Thursdays) it's number 1. This means that nearly all Spain has watched this.This happens every single Thursday except when there is football.I'm a huge fan of this series because of lots of reasons. It is a perfect mix of fact & plot. Depicts the era perfectly from an insider's point of view and keeps the viewer immersed in the life of the Alcantara family. If you are not watching it, I would start by buying all the seasons. It is really worth it. It has won lots of prizes, it is the Spanish TV series by excellence. I hope you will enjoy it if you see it like I've enjoyed it the past 10 years. This is the best Spanish cinema.When I come home on Thursdays, I come home to see Cuentame!

mateluna First "Cuéntame", then "Cuéntame cómo pasó", this series interestingly started 2 days after 9-11. It follows more or less the same format of "The Wonder years" TV series, but in Spanish.It narrates the life of a working class Spanish family from Madrid, with the background of the latter days of the Franco dictatorship in Spain, as seen by the eyes of a little boy.The family is made up of Antonio and Mercedes, who emigrated from a rural village, with the maternal grandmother, Toni and Inés, the teenage kids, and Carlos, the youngest (and the narrator).And while it does have some clichés (the hardworking father who does not want to see reality -something not too unfamiliar in these times-, the respectful mother, the revolutionary son, the proletarian priest, etc), it does try to depict the life of a particular family in which the traditional point of views of the parents/grandparents collide against the younger generation, influenced by the university, the cultural scene, and the preponderance of fascism, genocidal wars and the overthrowing of governments in the name of "democracy".

maria-dolores_vazquez-abad The great value of "Cuéntame cómo pasó" is not the story itself, but how is it told to viewers. With simplicity, honesty, at times comical, at times tragic, without exaggerating characters or situations, this is the most enjoyable and the best TV series I have ever seen.It is a true family show, with the added value of stating deep social, moral and ethical questions, which avoids completely "cheap philosophical clichés" presenting realistic circumstances where the different choices often lead to opposite consequences. Furthermore, as in real-life, the characters make the choices influenced by individual emotional feelings frequently contrary to reason and good sense. We see all this happen and understand each character's realistic situation, never knowing what to expect.There are no good or bad individuals; they are people just like any one of us. Their interactions are not predictable and they don't always act the way they should, making mistakes leading the plot to unexpected outcomes.Although it is set in a specific time and place, and yes, historical events are carefully embroidered within the plot, the main story is about the human being, jealousy, greed, lust, pride, drive for performance and improvement; and the interactions of every-day individuals within and without the family circle, their double standards in the judgments of others compared to their own; it exposes the weaknesses and strengths of our culture, transcending beyond Spain to all Western cultures and beyond Spanish to non-Spanish speaking audiences.

Keith F. Hatcher This series, made for Televisión Española (TVE) is basically a series of chapters in the life of an ordinary family in 1968, primarily as seen through the eyes of the youngest son.Based on a background of historical events, such as the May 1968 student uprising in France, the decaying Franco regime, the war in Viet-Nam, the rise of imperialism, and others specifically related to Spanish life at that particular moment, one might regard this series as a simple compilation of characteristic foibles which make themselves so apparent in this kind of entertainment.Generally treated in a lightweight vein though not lacking in certain moments which might be called dramatic, the series would seem to be aimed at people of around fifty who can rember those times, as, it should be stated, anyone younger either chooses to ignore such happenings or is busily occupied in other things.The best thing that can be said of this series is Ana Duato's rôle as mother of three children: she plays the part of the total housewife of the times really well, manifesting that peculiar Spanish penchant, especially noticeable among women, of letting all her thinking and her doings be carried forward by the impetus of her heart, without any resorting to the use of the brain. As we say in Spain, common sense is one of the least common senses. Imanol Arias offers very little, apart from not being his usual stereotyped hard policeman as in other television series. Indeed, as an actor, he should not be trusted in anything which is not a TV series. His resources are too limited; however, his part as father of the working-class household is not at all bad.Not really recommendable for other audiences, even Spanish-speakers in Latin America: the themes are all too parochially related to a specific spot in contemporary Spanish history, such that if the viewer was not living here at that time he will miss most of the references. It is even probable that certain situations which cause a few Spanish smiles would not mean anything to other viewers.