Paco Torres

A single mother of a leukemia-stricken child is redeemed by the titular positive force in Paco Torres' intriguing debut, "The Magic of Hope." Starting out as a po-faced tale of endurance, pic develops into a convincing, quietly affirmative fable about the transformative power of human goodness. Featuring a searching central performance from Patricia Garcia Mendez and employing a distinctive mix of grit and lyricism working in mutually beneficial counterpoint, pic is far from perfect, but its seriousness of purpose and undertow of emotional truth could be met with applause by fest auds.

Seventy jumps on the train of memory and takes us through the nostalgia of family and moments of gathering to a melancholy that revolves around the living room of our character.

In 1960, Martín and Marcos are forced by their difficult personal circumstances to travel to Switzerland in search of work, leaving their families in the Madrid of Franco's Spain. But they undertake more than a simple journey; they begin the road to a new life.

A young man, son and grandson of soldiers, refuses to perform military service, causing a commotion in the whole family. Finally, social, environmental and family pressures, will force the young to make a decision that will have unforeseeable consequences.