How do you face death? On your own terms or scrapping every step of the way? It’s a question we have to face more and more often as an ageing population, and one that Truman answers brilliantly.

Despite the depressing subject matter, Truman is never morbid, instead sidestepping the spectre of death whenever possible. It’s a very relatable, human approach and Darin and Cámara handle the material with great skill, in what almost amounts to a two-hander.

Darin, fighting death, is the more active of the two, but Cámara is the perfect foil with his exasperated expression of serene acceptance.

The plot is simple and has one or two missteps towards the end, but the character development is fantastic, as are the two lead performances.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Ricardo Darín, Javier Cámara, Dolores Fonzi

DIRECTOR: Cesc Gay

WRITERS: Tomàs Aragay, Cesc Gay

SYNOPSIS: Tomás returns to his hometown Madrid in order to convince his childhood friend, whom he hasn’t spoken to in years, to continue his chemotherapy treatment.