The 47

Having watched movies now for over fifty years, I have learned a few things, mostly about myself. Maybe. I enjoy underdog stories and stories of people fighting against repression, tyranny, and authority. Maybe it stems from Star Wars, rebels fighting against the Empire or Indiana Jones punching Nazis in the face. Whatever the case, adult me seems to gravitate towards similar, but less cartoonish, versions of this type of story; films like I, Daniel Blake, Milk, or Philadelphia. The 47 gives us the true story of Manolo Vital (Eduard Fernández) who plays a bus driver from the mountainous Barcelona suburb of Torre Baró. It was built by hand in the 1950s and '60s by migrants. By the mid-'70s, the well-established area still had poor electricity and a dismal water supply. There was no bus service. Manolo and his daughter, and the rest of the Torre Baró inhabitants had to traverse the mountainside up and down to go to blue-collar jobs or school. Manolo and his friend would travel into town and paint slogans on the wall of city hall, slogans about justice for Torre Baró (the rebel in me cheers!). Manolo's daughter is ashamed of where she lives. When a firetruck can't climb the hill to a burning building, it becomes the tipping point for Manolo to take action. He becomes determined to get bus service for his people. The film is about social justice, but it's layered. His daughter Joana (Zoe Bonafonte) is in the school choir, and she is subjected to almost Whiplash levels of cruelty. Her performance is a standout. The 47 is a bus ride you want to catch. Watch it at a repertory theatre if possible or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff when available.