The One-Handed Trick

The One-Handed Trick
The One-Handed Trick
Spanish	El truco del manco
Directed by	Santiago A. Zannou
Screenplay by	Santiago A. Zannou; Iván Morales;
Starring	Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui"; Ovono Candela; Javier Iglesias "Gordo"; Elio Toffana; Mala Rodríguez; Juan Navarro; Diego Carrasco;
Cinematography	Albert Pascual
Edited by	Jaume Martí
Music by	Woulfrank Zannou
Production; company	Media Films
Release dates	September 2008 (Zinemaldia); 16 January 2009 (Spain);
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

The One-Handed Trick (Spanish: El truco del manco) is a 2008 Spanish film directed by Santiago A. Zannou, which stars Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui" alongside Ovono Candela.

Plot

The plot follows the attempts of two friends, Adolfo (hooked on heroin) and El Cuajo (a disabled man), of setting up a hip hop recording studio.^[1]^[2]

Cast

Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui" as El Cuajo^[3]
Ovono Candela as Adolfo^[4]
Javier Iglesias "Gordo" as Chacho^[5]^[6]
Elio Toffana as Galleta^[6]
Mala Rodríguez as Tsunami^[7]
Juan Navarro as Marquitos^[6]
Diego Carrasco as Jesús^[5]

Production

The One-Handed Trick was produced by Media Films, and it had the participation of TVE.^[6] Filming took place in locations belonging to the outskirts of Barcelona, including La Mina [es].^[8]

Release

The film screened at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2008.^[9] It was theatrically released in Spain on 16 January 2009.

Reception

Mirito Torreiro of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting "Zannou's rigor in building the story" as the best thing about the film, while citing a degree of "obviousness in the drawing of some characters" as a negative point.^[4]

Jonathan Holland of Variety considered that the film——"a too-rare incursion by Spanish film into the coarse realities of multiculturalism on its cities' outskirts"—features "a crudely makeshift feel that suits its subject".^[6]

Irene Crespo of Cinemanía rated it 3 out of 5 stars, considering that Zannou, "with few resources, without professional actors, but with a lot of enthusiasm, and at a rap rhythm", managed to craft "an undeceptive portrait of the reality of any city's slums"^[3]

Accolades


Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2009	23rd Goya Awards	Best New Director	Santiago A. Zannou	Won	^[10]
		Best New Actor	Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui"	Won
		Best Original Song	Woulfrank Zannou, Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui"	Won

References

^ "'El truco del manco', candidata a tres Goyas, refleja el esfuerzo y los intentos de superación de los marginados". Europa Press. 9 January 2009.
^ Elena, Alberto; Martín Morán, Ana (2016). "Transnational Contours and Representation Models in Recent Films about Immigration in Spain". In Oliete-Aldea, Elena; Oria, Beatriz; Tarancón, Juan A. (eds.). Global Genres, Local Films: The Transnational Dimension of Spanish Cinema. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-5013-0298-5.
^ ^a ^b Crespo, Irene (16 January 2009). "El truco del manco". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
^ ^a ^b Torreiro, Mirito (9 January 2009). "El truco del manco". Fotogramas.
^ ^a ^b Daura 2009, p. 254.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Holland, Jonathan (29 September 2008). "The One-Handed Trick". Variety.
^ Daura, Miquel (2009). "El truco del manco. Un ejemplo de plan de marketing". Distribución y marketing cinematográfico. Manual de primeros auxilios. Barcelona: Publicacions i Edicions. Universidad de Barcelona. p. 254. ISBN 978-84-475-3404-3.
^ Elena & Martín Morán 2016, pp. 218.
^ Sendrós, Parana (23 September 2008). "San Sebastián: la hora española". Ámbito.
^ "El truco del manco". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

[1] "'El truco del manco', candidata a tres Goyas, refleja el esfuerzo y los intentos de superación de los marginados". Europa Press. 9 January 2009.

[2] Elena, Alberto; Martín Morán, Ana (2016). "Transnational Contours and Representation Models in Recent Films about Immigration in Spain". In Oliete-Aldea, Elena; Oria, Beatriz; Tarancón, Juan A. (eds.). Global Genres, Local Films: The Transnational Dimension of Spanish Cinema. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-5013-0298-5.

[crespo-3] Crespo, Irene (16 January 2009). "El truco del manco". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.

[torreiro-4] Torreiro, Mirito (9 January 2009). "El truco del manco". Fotogramas.

[FOOTNOTEDaura2009254-5] Daura 2009, p. 254.

[holland-6] Holland, Jonathan (29 September 2008). "The One-Handed Trick". Variety.

[7] Daura, Miquel (2009). "El truco del manco. Un ejemplo de plan de marketing". Distribución y marketing cinematográfico. Manual de primeros auxilios. Barcelona: Publicacions i Edicions. Universidad de Barcelona. p. 254. ISBN 978-84-475-3404-3.

[FOOTNOTEElenaMartín_Morán2016218-8] Elena & Martín Morán 2016, pp. 218.

[9] Sendrós, Parana (23 September 2008). "San Sebastián: la hora española". Ámbito.

[10] "El truco del manco". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

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