The Spanish film committee that chose this film over Pedro Almodovar's "Talk to her" to represent that country in the best foreign film at the Oscars, made a terrible a blunder. The rest is history: Hollywood preferred to honor the wronged man, and no one ever heard about this movie. It didn't get a commercial run in the United States, as far as I'm concerned, because it is a film that outside Spain has no great appeal.
This film reminded me of a day at "Cheers", the Boston bar where the TV series took place, but without one iota of humor. The atmosphere is so bleak that it depresses the viewer as this heavy tale the director, together with his screen writer, decides to present us about unemployment in Northern Spain. There is such a gloom in this film as in no other film in recent memory. A lighter tone would have greatly improved this static film.
The film, as directed by Fernando Leon, shows not a ray of hope for these idled workers who spend their days at the bar where they are able to get drinks on credit while they wait for better days. This bunch prefer to stay in a state of limbo rather than going away from the area where unemployment is rampant. They all complain how about the Koreans are making better and cheaper ships while having their drinks and seeing the world passing them by without even the least amount of worry about what tomorrow would bring. On top of that, the film feels false from beginning to end.
Javier Bardem, with his rugged face, is the leader of this pack. His Santa is a man with a lot of pain and resentment, yet he prefers to bask in the sun rather than going to work and stop feeling sorry for himself. Luis Tosar is Jose who has his own demons to deal with. He is a coward who feels threatened by a wife who has her feet on the ground. Jose Angel Egido and Nieve de Medina are good in their roles.
This movie is a painful reminder of what is wrong with the film industry in Spain, as well as other European countries that had seen better times. Everyone is ready to denounce Hollywood and the American film industry as the culprit for their decline. But just think about planning a Saturday night dinner and going to the movies for a relaxing time, if the selection was "Monday in the Sun", please prepare the Alka-Seltzer for the indigestion afterward!
We hope director Leon lightens up for his next opus.
This film reminded me of a day at "Cheers", the Boston bar where the TV series took place, but without one iota of humor. The atmosphere is so bleak that it depresses the viewer as this heavy tale the director, together with his screen writer, decides to present us about unemployment in Northern Spain. There is such a gloom in this film as in no other film in recent memory. A lighter tone would have greatly improved this static film.
The film, as directed by Fernando Leon, shows not a ray of hope for these idled workers who spend their days at the bar where they are able to get drinks on credit while they wait for better days. This bunch prefer to stay in a state of limbo rather than going away from the area where unemployment is rampant. They all complain how about the Koreans are making better and cheaper ships while having their drinks and seeing the world passing them by without even the least amount of worry about what tomorrow would bring. On top of that, the film feels false from beginning to end.
Javier Bardem, with his rugged face, is the leader of this pack. His Santa is a man with a lot of pain and resentment, yet he prefers to bask in the sun rather than going to work and stop feeling sorry for himself. Luis Tosar is Jose who has his own demons to deal with. He is a coward who feels threatened by a wife who has her feet on the ground. Jose Angel Egido and Nieve de Medina are good in their roles.
This movie is a painful reminder of what is wrong with the film industry in Spain, as well as other European countries that had seen better times. Everyone is ready to denounce Hollywood and the American film industry as the culprit for their decline. But just think about planning a Saturday night dinner and going to the movies for a relaxing time, if the selection was "Monday in the Sun", please prepare the Alka-Seltzer for the indigestion afterward!
We hope director Leon lightens up for his next opus.