Una vida no tan simple

In his fourth feature-length fiction film, Feliz Viscarret (No Mires a los Ojos) immerses himself in this intelligent comedy-drama about an universal theme such as the midlife crisis, in addition to facing job insecurity. It stars Isaías (Miki Esparbé), a forty-year-old man who is at that moment in life when dreams usually dissipate. He was a promising architect, who won an award for previous constructions, but that was some time ago, and he designed the notorious Continental Hotel, but nothing remains of that, and today he finds himself mired in a bland adult life. Isaías's daily life is summarized in going to his architecture studio, together with his partner Nico (Álex García), another young man with a dark future who does not know what to do with his present and subsequent life, both work and loving. Isaías barely has a job, and meanwhile taking care of his children and returning sadly and without strength to a house where he feels absorbed in household chores. Until he meets Sonia (Ana Polvorosa), who makes him understand that being an adult and a father has never been easy. An apparently simple life that, however, is not.

Miki Esparbé (Perdiendo el Este, Cuerpo de élite, Smiley), Alex García (Antidisturbios, Origenes secretos, El Inmortal), Ana Polvorosa (La Fortuna, Las Chicas del Cable) and Olaya Caldera (Los Europeos, I'm So Happy) are the faces of this generational portrait, four characters lost among the chronic fatigue from a life without incentives or deep aspirations. With a point of hope in its final part and a sufficiently well-balanced cast, Viscarret presents an adequate portrait of a part of the population that has not quite found its place in society subjected to the vagaries of competition and consumerism. A society marked by strong labor competition and in which modern families contrast with the traditional way of life in the Bilbao environment. The film mainly follows Isaías, a 40-year-old architect and father who spends his days in his studio, complaining and feeling that he does not fit into this familiar daily life, living off past triumphs and present failures that he feels do not belong to him. In his hardships he is accompanied by another failed architect, Nico: Álex García, both seem not to have the life they expected. The good thing about this film is that the director made it with a low budget and they only had to make some sets, however, the film works on many levels as it is constantly reconfigured. It is an interesting film with a captivating script that delves into the human psyche of some characters who live in such an extreme situation of unemployment, desperation and monotony of life, although at the same time it develops a certain hope in family, love and children.

This very low-budget film was professionally directed by Félix Viscarret (Bajo las estrellas, Vientos de La Habana, Saura, No mires a los ojos) , although it is a bit slow and boring at times. The film was Nominated for the Biznaga de Oro 2023 Best Spanish Film at the Malaga Spanish Film Festival by Félix Viscarret. Rating: 6/10.