Throughout the day, we have kept you up to date on all the reviews we could find coming out of Raindance from your fellow aficionados. Believe it or not, more reviews are coming! We begin our set of exclusive reviews with one from Sam, one of our correspondents and staff members who wasbeyond fortunate to see Little Ashes, not once, but twice! Be sure to check back later for the next segment of our exclusive reviews!

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[From left: Matthew McNulty, Philippa Goslett, Marina Gattel, and Paul Morrison. Photo by: Andreas Tovan]

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Ok, wow I don't know where to start. It was a two-hour train journey down to London and I thought I'd kill the time by reading Sebastian's Arrows: Letters and Mementos of Salvador Dali and Federico Garcia Lorca. I was marking sections that, to me, spoke of their feelings - and the relationship I was desperately hoping the film would show. One quote I highlighted was from a letter Lorca wrote Dali:

Remember me when you are at the beach and above all when you paint crackling things and my Little Ashes. Oh my Little Ashes! Paint my name into the picture so that my name will mean something in the world.

In the darkened theater, these beautiful heartfelt lines appeared on screen, and the film had begun. From this, we cut to an 18-year-old Dali getting ready to move to Madrid, with his funny hair and his clothes from another time, it is obvious from the start that he does not fit in - yet he desperately wants to not only be accepted but to achieve greatness.

We are introduced to the social elite of the Resi - the newly published Lorca and the loud, flamboyant and variable Luis Bunuel (actually it's Luis this term). The charisma of this group is clear from the beginning and the talents of the cast are obvious.

The film takes us through the meeting of Dali and Lorca (hilarious moment when Lorca catches Dali watching him from a window and he pretends he's sleeping) and Dali's acceptance into the group. The main focus of the film though, is Lorca. It is his story and it is told beautifully by Javier Beltran.

The scenes we've heard about lived up to my expectations. The water scene was stunning. It's set at night and the water is phosphorescent because of the bio-luminescence of miro-organisms (sorry scientist in me, but trust me it was beautiful).What this means on film is as Dali and Lorca swam around each other, as they moved closer, they were followed by a blue trail. It was magical and spectacular.

The sex scene between Lorca and Magdalena while Dali watches is alsoamazingly well-acted by all.The meeting means very different things to those involved and the emotions that play out on their faces is incredible, no words are needed to convey what they are feeling.

The acting generally was outstanding. Yes, Robert Pattinson's accent slipped in places, (though I've now seen it twice and this was much less noticeable the second time around) but the emotions he portrayed were incredible. A whirlwind is very cliché but going from the awkward young Dali, to trying to understand how he feels about Lorca, to finally becoming "Avida Dollars," it really was. The last scene of the film deserves special mention, he was incredible and both times almost had me welling up (I do not cry at films! It's sort of a rule).

Matthew McNulty was sensational, I had been chatting to him off and on for an hour just before I went into the screening and I did not recognize him. I'm not exaggerating here, I stared at the screen, every scene he was in searching for some part of him that I recognized, and I couldn't find it.It was a total transformation, and I can't give him higher praise than that.He is, by the way, a lovely bloke and I will be purchasing everything he has ever been in, in the very near future.

The star of the film, though, (and deservedly so) was Beltran. He is phenomenal and really makes you feel the exhilaration of getting to know Dali, the pain of trying to stay away from him, the delirious joy of finally being accepted and then the heartbreak as Dali pulls away.

I'll admit I was nervous going to see this film. We've put so much time and effort into its promotion and we were really just going on faith that it would be worth it. I now have no reservations in shouting about Little Ashes for all to hear, it's the most moving film I have seen in a long time and I can't wait to see it again - twice was not enough!

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