Page 8
The Behrend Beacon
International Women's
Film Series
Event concludes with moving Solar
Maria Galina and Ana Fernandez share a mother-daughter moment
by Daniel J. Stasiewski
Translated into English, the Spanish title "Solas" becomes
- Alone." True to its name, the film revolves around three
relationships each which confront loneliness with shared suf
fering. Does it sound like a soap opera? Well, "Solas" isn't
far otT.
There are certain moments when the film speaks for itself,
and the performances, without words, control the emotion.
Despite the strength of honest sentimentality, other scenes
put sincerity behind uninhibited ranting and outrage. Fortu
nately, the solid foundation doesn't allow the shaky spectacle
to topple the film.
"Solas" begins in a hospital, where a women, known sim
ply as mother (Maria Galina), peers desperately through a
recovery room window. The woman's husband has just un
dergone surgery, and she can only turn to her estranged daugh
ter Maria (Ana Fernandez) for help. Maria, a single woman
living in a dingy Spanish ghetto, reluctantly opens her home
while her father recovers.
Her father's recuperation is far from Maria's realm of car
ing. She ran away from his abuse, only to live in poverty.
For both situations, she believes her mother is as responsible
as her father. Worse, Maria finds herself impregnated by an
abusive and neglectful man. With nowhere else to turn, Maria
hits the bottle.
Her mother tries to mend their relationship, but Maria won't
have it as long as her father is still in the picture. Shunned by
her daughter, the mother befriends the lonely widower (Carlos
Alvarez-Novoa) who lives downstairs.
While the mother makes the widower's life a little happier,
she still manages to make an impression on Maria. Her
mother's caring in the face of Maria's self-destructive habits
opens Maria's eyes to a side of her mother she always ig
nored. Soon, however, Maria's father will be released and
both the widower and Maria will have to continue on without
mother
I would like to credit every player in this Spanish language
production for the film's emotional drive, but only the mother
can truly claim responsibility. Maria Galina's subtle, but
Dana Glover full of passion and energy
by Roger Corny
staff writer
Imagine a sultry, bluely, R&B voice
soaring with tremendous intensity and
vocal vigor right out of the gate. Imag
ine sparkling, tinkling, virtuous piano
playing to go along with the voice.
Dream of sensuous, high-energy gospel
harmonies that are the icing on the cake.
If this sounds like a terrific, shining
new star, then you will want to introduce
yourself to Dana Glover and the im
mense natural beauty sweeping across
her debut CD, "Testimony".
The album gets off to a fast start with
the driving harmonies of "Rain, - a song
about an orphaned girl who is constantly
searching for someone to love her. She
wants to find her own identity, and to
reach the wami rays of the sun beyond
the gray, dismal rain.
There are many themes of relation
ships presented on this CD. These in
clude relationships with the special
someone you love and relationships that
you need to foster within yourself.
"Make It Real" is a song about baring
your inner heart and soul to the person
you love so that the truth is heard. It
goes, "We can make it real/Open your
a&e editor
Sultry songbird Dana Glover.
heart, that's when you start to truly feel/
We can make it real."
"Cherish" is a song that makes you
believe how precious time is and that you
must strive to make the very most out of
every second you spend with those you
love. People die, sometimes in the blink
of an eye, so you must hear what they
have to say now, or cry rivers of sorrow
knowing you lost your chance.
"Cherish every moment of your life/
Don't let the days of good and bad pass
,
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touching performance is positively genuine, which is prob
ably the biggest compliment an actor can receive. She never
says much, but the weight of her performance is obvious, not
just when she is onscreen, but when she is gone.
There are a number of moments when Galina is stunning.
As she interacts with her onscreen daughter Ana Hernandez,
she expresses disappointment that deserves sympathy, but
never asks for it. Galina is also charming in her scenes with
the old widower played by Alvarez-Novoa. Her essentiality,
however, isn't evident until she is gone.
The last half-hour of "Solar" focuses on a relationship be
tween the daughter and the widower. The pair undergoes a
melodramatic bond-building that's too excessive in its dia
logue and performances to follow the subtle developments
of the mother's relationships. Alvarez-Novoa isn't so much
the cause. His performance seems perfect in its longing, es
pecially in the scene where he waits all-day for the mother to
return. Fernandez, on the other hand, never supports the
character without Galina.
As the daughter waits in the abortion clinic, the director
takes over where Fernandez slips up. First-time filmmaker
Benito Zambrano's pan over the other clinic patients is able
to create a poignant scene in spite of Fernandez's presence.
Zambrano never interrupts Galina like he does Fernandez,
making his direction seem less consistent, but the overall film
more effective.
"Solas" is a marvelous debut. The character-driven story
remains emotionally evocative in the face of flagrantly senti
mental scenes and an unnecessary closing voice-over. Hell,
Galina's tender performance alone makes this film. Maybe
that says more about the casting director than Zambrano, but
there's some pride in directing a film as moving as "Solas."
out of
4 stars
Friday, March 28, 2003
"Solas - directed by Benito
Zambruno, starring Maria
Galina, Ana Fernandez, and
Carlos Alvarez-Novoa will he
showing Tues. at 7:30 p.m. in
Reed 117.
you by/ And cherish every moment
you're together/'Cause you never know/
When your days are gone/Hold on to the
ones you love/They're gone within the
twinkling of an eye."
Glover has the ability to wrap you up
in her music and infuse your heart into
every word and note that she sings. She
is a natural star who will be a showcase
for years to come. She plays the piano
like a virtuoso and really sings with a
great amount of heart.
The album ends with "Testimony," a
song about finding that perfect someone
and proving to everyone that you can
really find love even if they don't be
lieve you can. It makes you believe that
you will find love, and marriage is not
an impossibility.
Everything about Glover's debut is
strikingly soulful, painting the most fan
tastic landscape in your mind. It's a river
of passion that will completely sweep
you off your feet. She writes lyrics to
bane her soul and inspire generations of
music lovers. She is a can't miss. Glover
means forever. Make it your responsi
bility, your obligation to hear it. You will
feel this music.
No ego for this
State College alum
by Erika Jarvis
staff writer
Penn State alumus Eric Himan isn't
ashamed to admit he once competed in
the Mr. Fort Walton Beach High School
pageant.
"It was a huge joke but there was a
talent portion and I played [my own
songs] and won most talented," said the
singer-songwriter.
It was at that point in time, in the full
auditorium at his Florida high school,
when Himan realized that he was a pretty
good musician. After all, coming from a
household where his father was a New
York City jazz musician for more than
thirty years was bound to rub off on him.
Himan's sister also got the music bug and
has become a concert flutist touring Eu
rope and even playing Carnegie Hall in
New York City.
"Growing up, after dinners my sister
would get out her flute and play 'Flight
of the Bumble Bee' and my dad would
play a jazz song. Then they'd all look at
me [to play] and I realized that I needed
to write more songs," Himan said.
That's just what he did. Himan has
recorded two CDs as a solo artist. After
recording his first solo project, "Invin
cible," in 2000 he decided to search out
a band in need of a lead singer. Himan
founded his State College-based band,
Penn State alumnus Eric Himan is set to play Erie this April
Dunston Ashe, and opened for such mu
sical acts as Jimmy's Chicken Shack and
Fuel.
The band broke up three years later,
and Himan went back to being a solo
"We were 'light pop' and I was Mr.
Angry Folk Guitarist in the group," says
Himan.
Himan went back to the studio to put
together 11 songs for his self titled sec
ond CD. By listening to as many differ
ent artists as possible for inspiration,
Himan came up with an album to re
leased on his own record label this time.
Thumbcrown Records.
"Tracy Chapman's album 'Telling Sto
ries' really inspired me, then again I'd
also turn around and listen to Led Zep
pelin," Himan said of the artists who
have inspired his music. He even covers
Chapman's song "Fast Cars" during his
performances.
Since becoming an independent
singer, Himan has mainly performed at
intimate settings such as The Crowbar,
Chumley's and the Brewery at State
College. In his small private shows
LEB Movie of the Week: 'Lord of
the Rings: The Two Towers'
This Wagnerian synthesis of the biblical and pagan boasts more sustained storytelling
than its predecessor. Unlike the episodic, kaleidoscopic hurriedness of "The Fellowship
of the Ring," "Towers" is a nearly three-hour epic (one minute longer than last time) that
uses its time well.--Carrie Rickey, Knight Ridder News
"Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" will be shown Apr 3 at 9:30 p.m. and Apr 4-5 at
10 p.m. in Reed 117.
Daniel J. Stasiewski, A&E Editor
Himan feels he can really express him
self through his songs.
"The CD is where you play [your
song] once, playing the songs live is
where they become more, they become
their own thing on stage," says Hinman.
Himan's songs became their own in
Happy Valley as he worked to get his
degree in journalism and perform his
songs as often as he could around the
college town. Penn State is also where
Himan met his now best friend of six
years and current manager, Cassandra
Buncie.
The duo met when Himan got referred
for not leaving his dorm building during
a fire alarm, and was sent to see his resi
dent coordinator, Buncie. After Himan
explained how he was at the Sigma Ep
silon Alpha fraternity house and there
was no way he was in the dorm when
the fire went off, a friendship and a busi
ness partnership started to grow between
the two.
With lyrics covering topics such as
first impressions in his song "Drop the
Coin" to his childhood after his mother
died in "One Less Person;" Himan is able
to reel in his fans with songs that they
can relate with.
"The song 'Drop the Coin' is about
playing that little game between sorori
ties and fraternities. I just watched it, I
was just a spectator and it was fun to
watch it. I would be at my fraternity
house and I would look around and ev
eryone was just mingling and playing
those eye games. It's confusing as to who
hooks up with whom at the end of the
night," said Himan.
With songs that aren't always first
hand experiences Inman has become
pretty big in State College. After gradu
ating, Himan worked hard to play as
many shows as possible, ranging from
St. Louis to D.C. He'll even be playing
in his hometown of Fort Walton Beach
"I have so much advice for aspiring
musicians because I'm still an aspiring
musician myself. All I know is play ev
erywhere, take your ego and throw it
right out the window because no one is
going to hand you anything. People try
to get from point A to point B but it's a
long route," said Himan.
Eric Himan will perform Apr. 4-5 at th:
Coffee Cup on West 12th St. from Bp. m
to 10 p.m. both nights, or you can visi
him on the web at www.erichiman.com
behrcolls@aol.com