[.ca] Mondays in the Sun

not exactly bright days:
I'm baffled by all the glowing reviews of this terribly boring and almost pointless film. I rented this the other day and watched it with a few friends (one of whom has lived in Spain and speaks fluent Spanish). Unanimously we were distressed and mourning our decision to watch this one instead of the other we rented. The film was so dark, depressing and aimless that I was actually embarrassed that I rented it. While the actors did their best with the script (yes, Bardem is intriguing when not being annoying - all hopeless things considered) and there are some poignant moments, at the end of it all you almost wish that you had ended it all! There are moments when we cared about the characters: such as the woman slaving away in the factory or when she's spraying herself down to remove the odor of her stench-producing labor. However, the entire episode of the smashing of the light and concomitant court hassles proved tedious and beyond representative behavior of even a five-year-old autistic kid having a fit. Additionally, these guys are drinking all the time and never doing anything about employment; which proves testing even to the most self-assured welfare recipient. The unemployed characters do not evoke much sympathy for their plight; in fact, one almost feels compelled to throw something at them on the screen - namely, A BETTER SCRIPT WITH MORE GOING ON. This film proves that something halfway exotic, with a strong lead and a beautiful woman will do business at the box office despite such a glaring lack of artistry. Come on people, don't we expect a little more from movies? Advice to directors fortunate enough to land an actor like Bardem: Please give him something to really sink his teeth into and not come off looking like an imbecile. Life's too short to be bored by such soporific cinema.

`All that we were told about communism was a lie', `but the worst thing is that all we were told about capitalism was true':
"Mondays in the Sun", directed by Fernando Len de Aranoa, is a movie where not much happens. Despite that, it is worthwhile seeing, and remembering... Why?. Because it tells us the story of a group of friends, former workers in a shipyard, who were sacked from their jobs and are unemployed. The spectators will watch them look repeatedly and uselessly for a new job, and deal with being unemployed and old in a society where most jobs are for young people. As a result, viewers are likely to realize that having a job isn't only about earning money, but also part of who we are, to a certain extent. And in the case of most of these men, their identities are in need of a redefinition that gives their lives new meaning. This story takes place in Spain, but it could have been set in many other places. "Mondays in the Sun" is a film about unemployment and friendship, and those are things that are everywhere. As such, you are highly unlikely to find the message of this movie irrelevant. Even if you have a job (and that is my case), you probably know that some people don't, and that they suffer the consequences of that lack. It is pertinent to point out that this isn't a film that will make you laugh. It is somewhat gloomy at times, and the actors play well the roles of people on the edge, eager to strike out at whomever is near them. Santa (Javier Bardem) is specially impressive as a man who doesn't have a clue regarding what to do with himself now that he doesn't have a job. Another of the characters of this story is Serguei (Serge Riaboukine), a former Russian astronaut who is in Spain looking for a job. Serguei tells the others a joke: "Two old party comrades meet and one says `All that we were told about communism was a lie'. The other says `Yes, but the worst thing is that all we were told about capitalism was true'. In that silly joke, said by chance, we can find the root of the problem that aflicts these men... Truth to be told, "Mondays in the Sun" tells us what happens to those left behind by capitalism. Of course, capitalism is not always good, but all the other systems are even worse. However, that doesn't mean we can deny that our system has problems that must be solved. This movie gets that point across powerfully, and because of that I highly recommend it. Belen Alcat

Yet another gem from Spain:
MONDAYS IN THE SUN can be viewed as a bleak moratorium lived out by shipyard workers in a Spanish community who have been laid off thier jobs without apparent reason. Some of the characters react by accepting menial jobs as temporizing, their wives work packing smelly tuna in cans, and others react with a venom that is only slightly beneath the skin and strike out at the establishment for allowing their jobs to be taken by cheaper foreign countries (ships will now be built in Korea). Sound familiar? Well, here in a minimal setting we have all of the chaos and loss of dignity of the unemployed of the world portrayed by a talented cast and directed with realistic fervor. Javier Bardem once again proves that he is a consummate actor, taking the lead role of a man without money, job, and respect and somehow finds humanism in this grim part. The story progresses slowly, not unlike the sad days of the men who while away their useless lives in a bar owned by on of their comrades. In this micro setting we are given macro feelings and emotions and a sense of camaraderie that overcomes the sadness of their lives. This is not an entertaining movie. This is a contemporary statement about a large part of our society and can't help but cause a twinge of association in all of us.

A truly great movie and A dark comedy indeed:
I picked this movie out as I browsed the shelves at the local video store where I usually spend one hour each visit searching for a good film. Sadly, great films are hard to come by and usually now come from abroad. The movie's sequences range from somber to hilarious and for those who speak Spanish, the film is especially enjoyable. The acting is quite well done and the cast portrays the life of six unemployed friends for whom everyday is the same as the day before. The bar which they frequent is an excellent backdrop for the friendly bickering that goes on between the men. For those who seek a truly enthralling foregin film, "Mondays in the Sun" is a must and I certainly plan to buy the DVD and add this wonderful film to my collection.

A reward only for patient cinema viewers:
How can one one be entertained by a movie about the unglorious lives of four laid off shipyard employees in the grim setting of an economically depressed Spanish coastal city? Certainly, the slow pace of bar room banter coupled with the latent rage of the characters do not make for gripping drama. Yet, for the patient viewer, this award-winning Spanish movie becomes cinema verite at its best. The many subtle shades of human emotion and motives in the lives of these characters as they precariously tread in unemployment, are rendered with an unhurried pace which matches the reality they face daily of no real exit from misfortune other than to console themselves with each other. The movie turns out to be a winner!