Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados

Living is easy with eyes closed.

Living is also easy when you view the world through rose coloured glasses. And whether you're the type to feel nostalgic about things before they even happen or not, this film takes you on a glorious sepia toned journey to Almeria in the late 1960s. And then makes you wish you were there.

The film follows the plight of the affable, portly protagonist, Antonio and his dream to meet his hero, John Lennon. You see, Antonio is not just a devoted Beatles fan, he's also a devoted English teacher with the patience of a saint, using The Beatle's lyrics (hot off the press) to give meaning in his classes. And there are many other saintly and religious themes throughout the film which are especially confronting for the pregnant teenager, Belen, one of the two runaways Antonio picks up en route to Almeria. The other is Juanjo, an almost debilitatingly introverted, artistic youth struggling to please his stern father. This unlikely trio find the 'help' they need in the form of one another.

The film perfectly balances moments of melancholy and joy, which is essentially life at its core. And there are nods to Truffaut (I won't give them away). Spain in the 1960's was not all free love and liberation. With the threat of the cold war looming and Spain under the tyrannic rule of the Franco regime, this seemingly light-hearted tale is set against the backdrop of a fairly weighty political climate. But don't think this stands in the way of our characters having some eye watering laughs along the way.

For younger and/or attention deficit viewers there may be parts of the film which feel a little slow, but this is the genius of the pacing. It is a quaint story about little people with big heart, and most importantly the pacing adds to the sense of time and place - an ambling coastal town.

A lovely seaside romp with some fairly lovable characters, 'Living is easy with eyes closed' was a joy to watch. An ode to the underdog and the outsider, sure it was 'feel good' but what's so bad about that? And for the record, I would consider marrying Antonio, balding and all. That man has a heart of gold.

The factual story of Juan Carrion has never been spread before and should be known by everyone interested in The Beatles and involved in Education from now on thanks to this great movie. It shows an actual character, a Spanish teacher of English who begun to teach English through Beatles songs as soon as the Fabs became famous and when he found out John Lennon was acting in Almeria location he aimed to meet him to thank him for his involuntary played role as a teacher -ironic, being John so reluctant of teachers-. The plot is not focused only on this teacher but on two youngsters who have left their homes for different reasons. It is a good feelings road movie to Almeria, where by that year of 1966 had turned into the European Hollywood. Since Lawrence of Arabia was shot over there, Clint Eastwood,Anthonny Quinn, Brigite Bardot and so many other stars had passed by the same sunny place than John Lennon. It was not because of his likening of The Beatles, nor liberty nor politics who drove Juan to meet John but his deep respect for his pupils. He wanted to have the lyrics first to provide their pupils with them as soon as possible. For millions of non-English native speakers Beatles fans around the world Beatles songs used to mean more sounds than words and messages. Unfortunately, for those whose mother tongue is English have been very difficult to understand that English have to be learned hardly day by day. When Seargent Pepper's album came out with its lyrics printed, that decision was taken as a normal one. But no one -not even the cleverest Beatles researchers- until nowadays had a reason why The Beatles decided to do so. The reason remained in Almeria, Spain, between John and this man called Juan Carrion. I sincerely hope 'Living is easy' gets to your countries soon so that you can enjoy of this beautiful movie and the story behind.

"Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed" is an odd little slice of life movie. The acting and direction are quite nice, though otherwise I didn't particularly love the film or felt connected to it. Perhaps it might be different for you--particularly if you are a Beatles fan.

The film is set in Spain in 1966. A completely obsessed English teacher dreams of meeting his idol, John Lennon. And, when Lennon comes to Spain to film "What I Did in the War", impulsively he sets off on a cross-country trek to see the singer. Along the way he picks up a runaway teen and pregnant young lady and they set off for the movie set.

All of this unfolds very slowly. VERY. This didn't bother me, though I am pretty sure many folks will balk at this. As for me, my problem was that although the characters were mildly interesting due to the acting, they were only mildly interesting. I didn't really care about them or their pursuit. Not a bad film at all but one that left me feeling curiously disinterested.

This is a quiet gentle movie full of humor and understanding about the sometimes painful but rewarding journey to adult hood.

Of huge assistance to those young folk making this journey is a really talented teacher; don't just take my word for it - learn from the movie what Lennon did to assist the teacher in his quest.

Also interesting to show what life is like living in a fascist state - fascism starts in the family and at school.

The director David Trueba is clearly a talent to watch - he was a screenwriter on the much darker confronting but interesting Perdita Durango (Dance with the devil - 1997) - he clearly has real insight into human nature. This is a much kinder more thoughtful film and one for all of us.

9/10 for me (there are no tens).

I saw this movie on an international flight with United Airlines from the USA to Germany. In summary, it is a refreshing tale that layers many of life's lessons into the backdrop of the intrigue of the "mid-early" days of the Beatles -- with the focus on John Lennon. The summary plot is of a Spanish school teacher who is teaching English, and who happens to appear to be obsessed with John Lennon, decides to drive to the south of Spain (AWOL from work). On the way, he picks up and ends up somewhat parenting, "life coaching", and probable saving two run aways, along with himself. As a side note, the two runaways fall in love through a very circuitous route. In the end, Lennon is found, and you need to see the movie for the rest.

I only saw the movie this week and fell in love with it. I wanted to show my family tonight, but found it is not available for sale. OMG!!! That is a travesty.... Someone have the sense to share this post/review and send it to someone who wants to make money from this film. I, for one, would pay to own it. Just after one viewing...!!