Lessons in life from Beatles-inspired Spanish film

Film review: Vivir Es Facil Con Los Ojos Cerrados

MANILA, Philippines - Ongoing until Oct. 19 at Greenbelt 3 is the Spanish Film Festival: Pelikula, brought to us by Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish Embassy and our own Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). True to form, this year is a roster of quite current Spanish films, headlined by their official entry for the Oscars Best Foreign Film category, David Trueba’s Vivir Es Facil Con Los Ojos Cerrados (Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed). Translated into English, it’s the opening line of the first verse of the Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever, and taking on a historical fact — that John Lennon was in Almiera, Spain in 1966, as part of the cast of Richard Lester’s How I Won the War — the film deftly weaves a story around a Spanish Grade School teacher, Antonio (Javier Camara) who loves the Beatles, and travels to Almiera on a quixotic quest to meet John.

Along the way, Antonio picks up a girl, Belen (Natalia de Molina) escaping from a convent for unwanted pregnancies, and a boy, Juanjo (Francesc Colomer), who has also run away from home, making a statement against his father’s insistence on getting his long hair cut. It may be a wisp of a premise, but Trueba weaves cinematic magic, giving us a film that is rich on period, charm, and strong felt emotions. Following their dreams, and the search for some form of freedom become intertwined as we follow our three protagonists on their road trip. Antonio’s first scene is priceless, teaching English to his class by using the lyrics of Beatles tunes, in this case, Help. And you’ll love Trueba’s shafts of humor: Belen’s friend in the convent who tries to get rid of her “baby,” the suspended gag of what Antonio is called behind his back by his students, and so on.

In essence, the film smartly references the period of 1966, when Spain was still ruled by Franco and his repressive regime, and gives three stories of finding oneself, and keeping it real. As for the enigmatic Beatle, his shadow looms long over the film; as well it should, given how this outspoken Beatle was all about freedom, peace, and imagination. A charmer that’s well worth catching, the screening I caught even had Manila visitor Trueba conducting a precious Q&A after the film — and I loved how the film’s introduction mentions the Beatles’ fateful Manila visit.

Two other films by Trueba are being exhibited; and among the ones I do hope to catch are the comedies, La Gran Familia Espanola and By-Pass. The former is about a wedding that takes place on the same day in 2010 that Spain played in the World Cup Final, while the latter follows a man, his pregnant girlfriend, and the childhood friend who’s fatally sick and he promises marriage to in order to lift her spirits — and what ensues when she miraculously recovers. Las Brujas de Zugarramundi is a horror/black comedy that looks like a lot of fun, and from the trailer I caught, is reminiscent of the Rodriguez/Tarantino film, From Dusk Till Dawn. Cannibal is about a small town tailor with an unusual appetite, and Implacable is a comedy centered on a young teenager who thinks he’s the ultimate ladies man. There’s a lot of variety in this year’s line-up of films, and I highly recommend Trueba’s Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed, which has one more screening on Oct. 18.