La Gran Familia Española is a Spanish movie that was created in 2013 by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo. It is based around a family of five brothers and their father, who live in country outside Madrid. The family cares a lot about being close to each other and celebrating love. The movie begins with the family watching a movie called Seven Wives for Seven Brothers, which is what they base their lives off. This movie is about a large family that consists seven sons that want to get married and live happily ever after. Throughout La Gran Familia Española, the viewer realizes that this is not the case with this Spanish family. The son's father and mother get a divorce and this causes many problems. The movie is about one day in the life of this family, the wedding of Efrian, the youngest of the five brothers, and his pregnant girlfriend, Carla. This is more than just a wedding, it is held at the family's farm and all their family and friends come, except for their mother. Along with the wedding, the final round of the World Cup is happening and it is an important year for Spain because they end up winning. Throughout the day a series of events occur that show the viewer how the lives of these 5 brothers have changed over the years and how their relationships have evolved. Their father has a heart attack mid-ceremony, the true love of one of the brother's starts seeing one of his other brothers, and Efrian begins questioning his love for his girlfriend. These events are happening throughout the course of one day, on the family farm, with many people there, while everyone is watching the soccer game. I believe this film showcases many important aspects of traditional Spanish culture. It includes the importance of family for people in Spain, the love of soccer as a countrywide sport, and the value of living close to home. While using these details to make this movie a comedy, Arévalo makes it very easy to follow for someone who is not Spanish. The humor is light at times, but also hits home on many important life problems that this family faces. He connects the movie to midlife depression with the character Adan, the young love and misunderstanding of life in the character Efrian, and the need to escape your family and problems in the character of Caleb. Arévalo includes these important life lessons in the humor surrounding a disorganized family wedding. The soundtrack perfectly complements the movie because all the songs are very lighthearted and enjoyable, even when there are important detailed scenes the viewer can hear the music of the celebration in the background. I believe this sends the message that even in such an amazing celebration, there can be problems. I have seen many Spanish movies from all different parts of history, but in my opinion this is one of the best I have seen. It holds the viewer's attention while explaining many details. The actors are perfect for their roles and very accurately depict the types of people they are trying to be. I also enjoy the details the viewer learns about Spain as a country and Madrid as the capital. The Spanish pride and love for their country is very apparent in this film and I believe this movie should be at the top of everyone's must see lists. It is a laugh-out-loud comedy, but will make you cry at the same time. It perfectly shows the inner workings of a large, all male family and the troubles they have, funny and serious. I enjoyed viewing this movie and would see it again in a heartbeat.
Review of Family United
