Mondays in the Sun

Name: Mondays in the Sun
Director: Fernando León de Aranoa
Released: 2002

Fernando León de Aranoa

2002

5.00

Synopsis

After the closure of their shipyard in Northern Spain, a few former workers: Santa, José, Lino, Amador, Sergei and Reina keep in touch. They meet mainly at a bar owned by their former colleague Rico. Santa is the most superficially confident and unofficial leader of the group. A court case hangs over him relating to a shipyard lamp he smashed during a protest against the closure. José is bitter that his wife, Ana, is employed when he is not.

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Recommendations

90
Los Angeles Times
A triumph of quiet realism, a piece of sophisticated, subtle filmmaking that is both thoughtful and thought-provoking.
83
Entertainment Weekly
The performances are relaxed. The open-ended, vignette-like structure of the filmmaking sometimes imitates the movement of weary, life-worn men nursing liquor.
80
Variety
A tough-but-tender movie driven by perfectly modulated performances, an accomplished script and naturalistic dialogue, all at the service of an oft-told message about overcoming circumstances.
78
Austin Chronicle
Bardem injects a shaggy, compassionate humor throughout, aided by a wry and moving ensemble cast and co-writer/director Fernando León de Aranda's eye for the offbeat.
75
Christian Science Monitor
The story's rambling, meandering style is just right for the melancholy subject being explored, and all the acting is excellent.
75
Chicago Tribune
The tired and washed-out Spanish town is a fitting backdrop for these men - a place where life moves on around them at an uninspiring pace.
75
New York Post
There's also enough laconic humor, warming camaraderie and hopeful stabs at dignity to keep the story from assuming the glum gunmetal gray of its setting on the coast of northwestern Spain.
70
The New York Times
This slow, episodic film is held together by the galvanic presence of Javier Bardem.

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