Mondays in the Sun
| Mondays In The Sun (Los lunes al sol) | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Fernando León de Aranoa |
| Produced by | Elías Querejeta |
| Written by |
Ignacio del Moral Fernando León de Aranoa |
| Starring |
Javier Bardem Luis Tosar José Ángel Egido Nieve de Medina |
| Distributed by |
Lions Gate (US) ? (Spain) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 113 min |
| Language | Spanish |
| Budget | $3.4 million |
| Box office | $13.5 million[1] |
Mondays in the Sun (Spanish: Los lunes al sol) is a 2002 Spanish drama film directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, starring Javier Bardem, Luis Tosar and José Ángel Egido. The film depicts the degrading effects of unemployment on a group of men left jobless by the closure of the shipyards in Vigo, Galicia.
Plot
After the closure of their shipyard in Northern Spain, a few former workers – Santa, José, Lino, Amador, Serguei and Reina – keep in touch. They meet mainly at a bar owned by their former colleague Rico. Santa is the most superficially confident and the unofficial leader of the group. A court case hangs over him that concerns a shipyard street lamp he smashed during a protest against the closure. José is bitter that his wife, Ana, is employed while he is not. The gap between them is widening and he is fearful that she will leave him for a co-worker. Despite arthritic legs, Ana endures night shifts at a fish factory and thinks her looks are now lost. Not everyone seems to agree, including her boss. Lino, an aging family man, doggedly pursues positions beyond his qualifications. The oldest member of the group, Amador, has degenerated into alcoholism after being abandoned by his wife; maintaining an increasingly transparent pretense that his wife will soon return from holiday. Reina has managed to find a job as a watchman at a football club, smuggling his friends into a game. Lino attends job interviews despite applicants being near his son's age. Serguei claims his career as an astronaut was forestalled by economic measures in the Soviet Space program.
This group of friends is observed by Nata, the landlord's teenage daughter. She franchises her babysitting job to Santa. The men also like relaxing by the sea where Santa dreams of going to Australia. Amador is found dead outside his apartment building. His friends give him a dignified funeral albeit with a stolen floral arrangement. Lino eventually acknowledges his unemployability. Ana more from pity than love, remains with José. Santa pays the fine rather than go to jail. On his way, he smashes the same street lamp.
Cast
- Javier Bardem as Santa
- Luis Tosar as José Suárez
- José Ángel Egido as Paulino "Lino" Rivas
- Nieve de Medina as Ana
- Serge Riaboukine as Serguei
- Enrique Villén as Reina
- Celso Bugallo as Amador
- Joaquín Climent as Rico
- Aida Folch as Nata
- Fernando Tejero as Lázaro
- Laura Domínguez as Ángela
DVD release
Mondays in the Sun is available on DVD. It was released in Spain and in the United States. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles.
Awards
The film won five Goya Awards in 2003, including awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Lead Actor. It was also chosen by the Real Academia de Cine Español as Spain's pick for the 2003 Academy Awards over Pedro Almodóvar's Talk to Her, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, and won Best Original Screenplay.