Most comedians will gladly elaborate on the idea that "comedy is more difficult than drama". This concept does tend to ring true specially when considering how universal drama tends to be: loss, betrayal, love, almost all cultures and people react similarly to these feelings. But humor? Wordplay depends not only on language, but on pronunciation and accent. Some cultures tend to like comedy DARK and offensive, while others' ideas of taboos and respect are too strong for that. Timing is tricky as hell. These are just a few of the reasons why it seems crotch-shots and farts are pretty much the only universal forms of humor and "Amalia the Secretary" has neither.
As I watched this film, with Spanish being my first language, I was hoping for one thing above all: that the people in charge of translating it know what they're doing. Having mentioned how humor can sometimes be very culture-specific, I do not think this one leans on too Latin American a style of comedy. It does rely heavily on dialogue, awkwardness and timing though, for which the correct translation is crucial. The type of real-life awkwardness on display in this movie, with its near-painfulness, has its closest relative in Gervais's "Office", while its uplifting narrative does skew more NBC, both of which have managed huge success worldwide thanks to their relatability.
Amalia is, of course, a secretary. She runs a tight office for her boss, Don Bernardo. She is a bit of stickler for order and procedure, but not to the point of alienation as she clearly does care for her boss and family. She lives with her mostly-mute elderly mother and hired a friend to basically be her nurse, while her own grown-up daughter is studying in the U.S. She also has never been able to dance.
A meeting with Lázaro, a new janitor at her company, does not lead to what other movies would exaggeratedly would call "her life being turned upside down", but it does lead to an interesting change of pace. A change of pace with less office work and more Salutations to the Sun and martial dance instructors, taking her from one hilarious bit of awkwardness to the next, all while keeping a good deal of heart. This is not a wacky, wild ride, but it's still a hilarious one, the kind that one can only hope is not to be lost in translation.
