My Quick Way Out

Colour, 35 mm
Spain, 2006, 115 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Official Selection - Competition

Synopsis

Spain in the late 1970s. Astonished bystanders look on as a car speeds through the streets at full pelt apparently without a driver. In fact, behind the wheel sits 9-year-old Juan Carlos, who is not only a great driver, but also brilliant at stealing cars. He is the youngest member and unwritten leader of a feared gang of young criminals since, thanks to his mastery behind the wheel, he’s always able to elude the police. His parents try in vain to isolate him from the street and from his pals. Juan Carlos doesn’t acknowledge his weak father, nor his worn-out mother whom he senses has pushed him aside in favour of his five younger sisters. He’s hardly ever at home, he feels he has no home to go to. He only makes an appearance at school when he needs an alibi. He has run away from three reform schools and has had 150 clashes with the law. One day, however, he meets the charismatic “uncle Alberto”, the founder and director of a boys’ school for lost souls like him…

About the director

Miguel Albaladejo (b. 1966, Alicante) became familiar with classic and art-house films as a child in Alicante, where his father ran the local cinema. He made his first short films Ashes to Ashes (Cenizas a las cenizas) and Life Is Always Short (La vida siempre es corta) in 1993. These were followed by Blind Blood (Sangre ciega, 1994), nominated for a Goya award, and Bear Cub (Cachorro, 1994). In 1997 he started making features with the film The First Night of My Life (La primera noche de mi vida), which began his successful collaboration with the writer Elvira Lindo. His Manolito Four Eyes (Manolito Gafotas, 1999) was based on her novel of the same name; the film was well received both by audiences and at the Berlin IFF, and was also nominated as Best Film Adaptation for a Goya award. His film Verbal Attack (Ataque verbal, 1999) was also hailed by the critics. Other films: Ten Days without Love (El cielo abierto, 2000), Rancour (Rencor, 2001), Bear Cub (Cachorro, 2004).