Sobreviviré

A thoughtful, well-acted and well-observed (though bleak) look at what some people have to put up with to get through life.

Sobrevivire has a satisfying scope and substance with an appealing blend of warmth, humor and pathos with a dash of tartness.

The film's jarring shifts in tone ultimately serve well the complexity of the film's narrative entanglements; they feel more honest than similar Hollywood offerings.

Can't overcome the familiar, soapy script.

This is a shameless, straightforward soap opera (no Almodovarian excess here!), but it's pretty entertaining on its own sudsy terms.

Bears some resemblance to "All About My Mother," but lacks its compatriot's flamboyance, content to traffic in glib banalities and unwitting self-absorption.

Desperate for a slice of Spanish soap opera? You might try this misguided romantic melodrama.