Los lunes al sol (2002)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Fernando León de Aranoa

Writers:

Fernando León de Aranoa (screenplay) and
Ignacio del Moral (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 September 2002 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

This film is not based on a real story. It is based on thousands.

Plot:

This is the story of those who live in a constant Sunday, those who spend mondays under the Sun. The story of people who worked in a dockyard but now are unemployed.

Plot Keywords:

Bar | Shipyard | Australia | Cannery | Drink

Awards:

38 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Javier Bardem	...	Santa
Luis Tosar	...	José
José Ángel Egido	...	Lino
Nieve de Medina	...	Ana
Enrique Villén	...	Reina
Celso Bugallo	...	Amador
Joaquín Climent	...	Rico
Aida Folch	...	Nata
Serge Riaboukine	...	Serguei
Laura Domínguez	...	Ángela
Pepo Oliva	...	Samuel
Fernando Tejero	...	Lázaro
Andrés Lima	...	Abogado
Antonio Mourelos	...	Juez
César Cambeiro	...	Fiscal (as Cesar Cambeiro)

Also Known As:

I lunedì al sole (Italy)
Les lundis au soleil (France)
Mondays in the Sun (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

Spain | France | Italy

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Ireland:15A | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Gijón, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

Company:

Antena 3 Televisión

Quotes:

Santa: What day is today?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Spanish Movie (2009)

Soundtrack:

Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)

A Bitter and Sad Worldwide Contemporary Story, With Magnificent Performances

In an industrial city in Spain, five unemployed middle-aged friends daily meet in a bar, whose owner was also a former employee of the local shipyard, for drinking and small talk. Santa (Javier Barden) is their rebel leader, who dreams to move to Australia, and is being sued by the owner of the shipyard for breaking a 8,000 pesetas light. The insecure José (Luis Tosar) feels inferiority complex of his wife Ana (Nieve the Medina), who is supporting their home with a temporary work in a tuna can factory. Paulino (José Ángel Egido) is permanently trying to find a job through unsuccessful applications. The Russian Serguei (Serge Riaboukine) studied in Soviet Union to be an astronaut and seems to accept his life status. The depressed Amador (Celso Bugallo) misses his wife, who left him some time ago. For all of them, each jobless idle day looks like a Sunday.

"Los Lunes al Sol" is a bitter and sad worldwide contemporary story, with magnificent performances. I am marine engineer and Rio de Janeiro is the greatest Brazilian pole of naval construction. In the 80's and 90's, I saw many people of this sector, including friends and colleagues, losing their jobs and many of them changing their professions with the crisis in this sector. This type of situation happened in many other economical sectors, and Brazil has presently about a ten percent unemployment rate. I feel very sorrow for those who lost their jobs, and the large number of street vendors and slums in my hometown, associated to very low wages, reflect our present situation. The universe of Santa and his friends may be extended too to many other countries and sectors of the economy, therefore it is very easy to sympathize and understand the drama of the characters. This impressive film is also very well directed and watching it is a worthwhile experience, mainly for the younger generations. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Segunda-Feira ao Sol" ("Monday in the Sun")