Maria and Everybody Else

Watching Maria (And Everybody Else), wondering how Barbara Lennie could pull off such a performance, laughing-crying at the proceedings - everything made me feel like I was experiencing a life of my own life. Of course, the story of Maria (Lennie) who is having a mid-life crisis thanks to how her life has turned out because she had to take care of her widower father is not unique but it is the little things that make this comedy drama poignant. There'a a scene in the middle where Maria celebrates a little joy (a text reply from her boyfriend) by going overjoyous at another event (her friend's art exhibition). It's a classic take on how human emotions work and for that alone I am willing to give Maria (And Everybody Else) another watch. Splendid. TN.

(Watched and reviewed at the 24th European Union Film Festival (EUFF India) at Mumbai.)

Ever since her mum died, María has taken care of her father and her siblings. María since the death of her mother has always been responsible for the family, everything happens under her supervision. Her great concern is her father who finally seems to come out of the serious illness he suffered from, her brothers, despite being far away, know that she is the one who decides everything that happens in family life, so when María decides to celebrate her first birthday their father totally healthy they know that they have no choice but to go no matter what happens. When everything is ready to celebrate the family birthday , her father shows up at the meeting with Cachita, the nurse who has been treating her in recent years. The reactions are not long in coming when he says he is in love with her, causing a controversy in the family that completely upsets María . That's why her father's announcement of marriage to his nurse brings María's world crashing down around her. At the age of 35, she'll have to change her fate.

A nice debut in which good humor reigns with unusual intelligence, something unusual in today's cinema. A film in which we immediately managed to empathize with the protagonist where we see ourselves reflected in many of the situations she has . A comedy in which anyone can feel identified, since who hasn't dreamed of fulfilling all their wishes . An amusing comedy seasoned with the right touches of drama to get us excited knowing that what we see on the screen can also happen to us. This story can have a lot of empathy with the Spanish public, since what it tells us is not very foreign to us, a young woman who has not yet emancipated herself, who seeks professional achievements, and builds a personal life within the standards, while her friends are ahead of her and she is falling behind. Regarding the originality of this story, it must be said that it is nothing new, this plot is very recurring in plays .

The actors are quite good , none of them are out of tune . María is stunningly played by Bárbara Lennie, an actress who won the last Goya for Best Actress (for Magical Girl). Being splendidly accompanied by fine secondaries as José Ángel Egido as the sick father ,Pablo Derqui, Vito Sanz, Marina Skell, Julián Villagrán , among others . At a very young age Bárbara Lennie moved with her family to Buenos Aires (Argentina), where she lived until the age of six, and then returned to Spain in 1990. Her physical regime includes Pilates, yoga, animal flow, cardio, boxing, dancing and hypopressive abs. She made her film debut in the film Más pena que Gloria (2001) and she was 16 at the time of the shooting. From now on , she played lots of successful of TV series , such as : Aguila Roja , Cueant Atrás , Isabel , El Incidente , Amar es para siempre , and notorious films , such as : Los renglones torcidos de Dios, Todos lo saben, Petra, El Reino , La Enfermedad del Domingo , A contratiempo , El Niño , Obaba, Las Furias , among others .

The film was presented to the public with the new directors award in San Sebastián and two nominations for the Feroz -Best Actress and Best Comedy-. And winning 8 Prizes & 16 nominations : José María Forqué Award Bárbara Lennie Best Actress . 2017 Nominado Goya Best Lead Actress Bárbara Lennie , Best New Director Nely Reguera . Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain 2017 Nominado CEC Award Best New Director Nely Reguera . Fotogramas de Plata Bárbara Lennie 2017 Nominado Fotogramas de Plata Best Movie Actress Bárbara Lennie . Mestre Mateo Awards Bárbara Lennie 2017 winner Mestre Mateo Best Actress Bárbara Lennie , 2017 winner Mestre Mateo Best Screenplay Nely Reguera , 2017 Ganador Mestre Best Sound Juan J. Gay López , Miguel Barbosa , Mestre Mateo Best Original Music Nico Casal and Best Picture . Miami Film Festival 2017 Ganador HBO Ibero-American Competition Best Film Nely Reguera (director) . Turia Awards 2017 Ganador Turia Award Best First Work Nely Reguera , among others.

María has been taking care of her father Antonio since her mother died. This has been especially trying during Antonio's recent cancer treatment. María (as well as her brothers) is blindsided by Antonio's announcement of marriage to his nurse Cachita. Not overly original, but there are some possibilities. Regrettably, these are not exploited, and the script is predictable and loaded with clichés.

Bárbara Lennie plays María. She carries her weight for a while but then becomes tiresome (she is far too long on screen). Cachita (played by the Argentine actress Marina Skell) is Argentinian and she is depicted as clueless, pushy, overbearing and uneducated according to a not infrequent cliché in Spanish movies. The dialog is trite, except for some sharp exchanges in a beach scene. There is too much bad music, including a scene where Dani, María love interest sings and plays the guitar, which qualifies him as one of the worst musicians/poets on earth. That may be intentional, however.

On the positive side, good cinematography that captures some of the beautiful, melancholic landscapes of Galicia, a province in the northwest of Spain.

The characters are well developed, they tell the story of changes in Spain's roles and culture. The caretaker, Maria, so entangled in this role, that she neglects to live her own life and dreams. An unexpected event makes her rush into her own chaos.