Los Miercoles Al Cine... Los Lunes Al Sol @ Instituto Cervantes

A week and a half in, and I'm starting to feel like a real Londoner again, especially last night when I went for a wander through Belgravia, to reach the Instituto Cervantes. Created by the Spanish government in 1991, the Instituto serves two purposes: it both provides Spanish language teaching at all levels for all ages, and promotes Hispanic culture through free film screenings, concerts, discussions and exhibitions.

 

My first trip to the Instituto was as part of the 8th London Spanish Film Festival, which runs until 10 October. The festival offers a packed programme of films and Q+A sessions, held mainly at the Ciné Lumière at the Institut Français. While I was tempted by far too many of the films, Los lunes al sol (Mondays in the Sun) at the Instituto Cervantes had a major bonus: it was free.

Showing as part of the Luis Tosar special feature, Los lunes al sol (2002, dir. Fernando León de Aranoa) was hugely successful on release, winning five Goyas (the Spanish equivalent of Oscars), including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Javier Bardem. It tells the story of a group of shipworkers who are laid off so the shipyard can be turned into luxury waterside apartments, and the degrading effects of unemployment. Although I - and the rest of the viewers - laughed a lot, this is no comedy; rather a scathing social commentary. Opening with scenes of violent protest at the shipyard, the film highlights issues such as the humiliation of competing with much younger people for a job you do not understand, the breakdown of marriages when one partner can no longer contribute financially, and the descent into alcoholism of those with nothing better to do all day - issues all the more pertinent given that Spain's financial situation has only gotten far worse in the last decade. At times, I found it difficult to identify with the characters because their discussions sounded more like political propaganda than a group of blokes down the pub - especially when Bardem's character Santa discusses the effect of some workers crossing the picket line and making deals with the company that left the others with nothing - but Santa's cheeky personality is endearing and saves the film from becoming too bleak. As a film, it is a bit too slow and not quite engaging enough, but as an insight into an important aspect of Spain's recent history, I recommend it.