The end of the festivals has not heralded the end of cultural activities on my part.  For a start I've got back to the cinema where I had not been for ages.  I saw a reasonably interesting Latin American film called Desde Alla.  It told the story of a middle-aged guy who sought out the company of younger men in Caracas.  There was a homosexual element to it but it seemed mostly to be about his need for friendship, perhaps related to a difficult relationship (unexplained) with his father.

At one point in the film Armando (the older guy) tells Elder (the younger guy) that his father is alive but he wishes that he were dead.  As the friendship develops Elder declares that he will kill the father.  Armando makes no protest and Elder kills the father.  Subsequently Armando betrays him to the cops.  That didn't seem terribly fair to me.

But perhaps I missed a few nuances.  Elder asks at one point why Armando talks funny.  He explains that he was brought up elsewhere.  To me they both talked funny so it was a relief later the same day to see Julieta in which everyone spoke a vey clear and understandable Castilian.

Almodovar is a lauded film-maker and I've generally enjoyed his movies while at the same time feeling they were a bit odd.  This one is so straightforward I loved it.

Unlike The Shepherd Beguiled.   This was Theatre Alba's Fringe show presented at The Brunton for those who had been unable to or chose not to brave their open air performances.  I thought it might have been a production of theirs which I had seen and enjoyed years ago.  I don't think it was. At least I hope it wasn't because I thought it was pretty dire stuff unredeemed by the quality of performance.

Fringe shows apocryphally garner audiences of one or two.  The Jazz Romantics gig, while not a Fringe show, fitted this stereotype well.  The promised guest saxophonist hadn't made it so we had a band of four and an audience that for the most part consisted of the bass  player's wife or girlfriend and me.  Some others drifted in and out as the evening progressed but at its peak the audience consisted of no more than five.  Nonetheless it was an excellent gig and I hope to be there at their next outing on September 30th.