El factor Pilgrim (2000) User Reviews

Off-beat film that works

[gmwhite · 7/10 · 19 February 2006]

This is one strange film, on many levels. Initially, there is the situation of a Spaniard living in London, muddling his way through by buying and selling junk. He is friends with an Italian, with whom he speaks in Spanish, but rents with an Englishman (his 'business' partner). Next door there lives a Swede who seems permanently high and paints everything orange. Most of the action revolves around the purchase, sale, recovery (etc) of a box and a photograph which are also being desperately chased by another couple of businessmen for reasons that are unclear for much of the movie, and which I will not go into now. Suffice to say that much of the action becomes clearer as the plot progresses.

The narration is in rapid Spanish, while the dialogue is in both Spanish and English, depending on who is speaking to whom. I wouldn't say that the acting was uniformly first class, but was good enough for this kind of comic caper. The soundtrack was modern, with plenty of songs to move to.

There are a few signs of budgetary constraints, but viewing the film as a whole, with its energy and inventiveness, the filmmakers have stretched their Euros pretty well. It's a good example of what can be done with a few original ideas and the cojones to follow them through.

Shoestring and simple film about some youngsters become involved into a twisted mess

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 7 March 2023]

A comedy with a light intrigue , friendship , emotion , twists and including enjoyable performances with outcast roles were pretty well developed .Once upon a time... There were four young men of different nationalities and without a penny to their name , holding low-paid , part-time jobs , they're : a Spanish, Italian, Swedish and British, undertaking a one-pound business deal that ends up becoming a one-hundred-thousand pound business deal, and a legend: The Legend of David Pilgrim. A juicy legend is the basic idea behind The Pilgrim Factor, a story half-way between a diverting comedy and an amazing tale, about anonymous characters who accidentally happen to come across something that could prove doubtful the authenticity of the world's most famous rock group. All this takes place right in the centre of "Chicken Town"... a city where everything is possible... even a story like this one.

This is a moving portrait of a group of unfortunate youngsters in London , including a brief intrigue, social prejudice , European immigration and city habits .The unknown protagonists forming a motley group , such as an Andalusian who lives from garbage , an Italian who was going to artist, a Swedish obsessed with the orange and an Englishman who scams his own mother selling defective video devices. It turns out to be a slow-moving and disjointed comedy , an exciting fresco with amusement , emotion and social fable ; however , I found him to be just too predictable and not driven . As directors Amodeo and Rodríguez direct with a bit of flair here and there, but not enough to raise up the material . Because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this sometimes predictable flick , though also contains funny and interesting moments .The picture relies heavily on the lively relationship among protagonists ; all of them share their same characteristics : they are drifters , unfortunates , poor and mostly unemployed and living at an ruined environment and out of money , opulence , richness or luxury . Resulting to be a fun and light story, whose script, originally from a short, reveals a fresh imagination and a great ability to create gags and comic situations. It is also necessary to highlight the work of the multicultural group of actors, especially the nice main interpretation of Alex O'Dougherty, who's known from his hilarious collaborations on television , and usual actor of the Amodeo-Rodriguez's films.

It contains evocative soundtrack as well as atmospheric cinematography in documentary style shot on location London , Seville and Huelva. The motion picture was uneven and originally directed by Alberto Rodriguez and Santi Amodeo . Obviously the quality of the movie is diminished by the short budget with which they had to carry out this cheap pic , Amodeo and Rodríguez, just three million pesetas to shoot an 83 -minute film. The film constitutes a decent debut , a comedy in which Amodeo and Rodríguez have shown that they knew how to make an original, simple and direct flick . Both of whom got to be noticed as soon as possible, achieving an interesting but uneven product in itself, that approves without taking into account any production difficulty . Alberto Rodríguez was born on May 11, 1971 in Seville , Andalucía, Spain . He is a good director and writer, known for Grupo 7 (2012), 7 Vírgenes (2005) and After (2009) . He previously realized ¨El Traje¨ and ¨Factor Pilgrim¨ . The latest from this prestigious filmmaker was the successful ¨Isla Minima¨ (2014) , ¨El hombre de las mil caras¨ (2016) , ¨La Peste series¨ (2019) and ¨Modelo 77¨ (2022) . While director also Sevillian Santi Amodeo is a craftsman who has made the following ones : ¨El Factor Pilgrim¨ , ¨Astronautas¨, ? Quien mató a Bambi ¿ and his hit ¨Cabeza De Perro¨ at his best . To an outsider, someone who's not a fan of a particular genre , anything that looks somewhat familiar can be grounds for dialing the cliché social comedy , but I think results to be a fun film with several scenes that'll have you entertaining . Well worth watching . Acceptable and passable film 5/10. I think results to be a sympathetic film with several interesting scenes , though average.

London is the only place where this could happen...

[pedrobas · 10/10 · 13 March 2001]

It is a very clever and funny film with a Spaniard, an English man, an Italian and an "Orange Mad" drug dealer involved together in a very unusual history. Original even in the fact that the film is in Spanish and English at same time (English subtitles when actors speak Spanish and vice versa). Especially good their view of the cosmopolitan London. Run to see it!!