Josep Centelles

Pere Portabella’s first work as a director starts with the following phrase: “defeated…but not conquered”. This may or should be taken as an allusion to the technical K.O. taken by Portabella from Franco’s regime during the sixties as regards his work as a producer. Through the extremely raging playthings of the words of Catalan poet Joan Brossa, Portabella attempts to dismantle the forms of advertising discourse of that time.

Four different Alices wander through mazes constructed from 40 years of Spanish history in this post-Franco meditation. Loosely related to the "Alice" of Alice in Wonderland, in one episode of this film, Alice (who is clearly a metaphor for the Spanish people) is raped by some multinational corporations. Told in a somewhat confusing manner, especially for those unfamiliar with the nuances of Spain's history in the period between 1936 and 1975, this is director Jorge Feliu's first feature film.