That Was Life (Spanish: La vida era eso) is a 2020 Spanish drama film directed and written by David Martín de los Santos. It stars Petra Martínez and Anna Castillo as two Spanish immigrants who form a friendship after meeting in a hospital in Belgium.
| That Was Life | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | La vida era eso |
| Directed by | David Martín de los Santos |
| Written by | David Martín de los Santos |
| Produced by | Damián París José Carlos Conde |
| Starring | Petra Martínez Anna Castillo |
| Cinematography | Santiago Racaj |
Production companies | Lolita Films Mediaevs Magnética Cine Smiz&Pixel |
| Distributed by | Elamedia Estudios |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Plot
editMaría and Verónica, two Spanish immigrants of different generations, meet in a hospital in Belgium where they form a friendship after an unexpected event. This leads María to embark on a journey of self discovery through the Spain she left many decades ago.
Cast
edit- Petra Martínez as María
- Anna Castillo as Verónica
- Florin Piersic Jr. as Luca
- Ramón Barea as José
- Daniel Morilla as Juan
- María Isabel Díaz Lago as Iloveny
- Pilar Gómez as Conchi
- Annick Weerts as Elisa
- Christophe Miraval as Pedro
- Maarten Dannenberg as Julio
- Alina Nastase as Cristina
Production
editThe film began shooting in May 2019 in different locations of Spain in Almeria and Cabo de Gata, later in Ghent, Belgium. Santiago Racaj was the cinematographer and Javier Chavarría was the production designer. Other credits include Tonucha Vidal (casting director), Eva Valiño (sound) and Miguel Doblado (editing).[1]
Release
editThe film was screened at the 17th Seville European Film Festival (SEFF), where it won the ASECAN award for Best Film and Best Actress for Petra Martínez.[2][3] The film had to postpone its release in cinemas several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately being scheduled to be released on December 10, 2021.[4]
Critical reception
editThe performance of Martínez was met with acclaim. Demetrios Matheou from Screen International wrote that "Martinez, well into her seventies when she shot this, gives a strong, minimalist performance".[5] Writing for Cineuropa, Alfonso Rivera commented that "David Martín de los Santos makes his debut in fiction with a humble, emotional and intimate film, that supports its subtle theme over the experienced performance of the great Petra Martínez".[6]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27th Forqué Awards | Best Actress (film) | Petra Martínez | Nominated | [7] |
| 34th ASECAN Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [8] | ||
| Best Director | David Martín de los Santos | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | David Martín de los Santos | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Petra Martínez | Won | |||
| 2022 | 9th Feroz Awards | Best Actress (film) | Petra Martínez | Won | [9] |
| Best Supporting Actress (film) | Anna Castillo | Nominated | |||
| 1st Carmen Awards | Best Fiction Feature Film | La vida era eso AIE | Nominated | [10][11] | |
| Best Screenplay | David Martín de los Santos | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Supervision | Damián Paris | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Petra Martínez | Won | |||
| Best Original Song | Estrella Morente & Fernando Vacas | Nominated | |||
| Best New Director | David Martín de los Santos | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Miguel Doblado | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Pilar Gómez | Nominated | |||
| 77th CEC Medals | Best New Director | David Martín de los Santos | Won | [12] | |
| Best Actress | Petra Martínez | Nominated | |||
| 36th Goya Awards | Best Actress | Petra Martínez | Nominated | [13] | |
| Best New Director | David Martín de los Santos | Nominated | |||
| 30th Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actress in a Leading Role | Petra Martínez | Won | [14] | |
| Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role | Anna Castillo | Nominated | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Empieza en Almería el rodaje de 'La vida era eso', que protagonizan Petra Martínez y Anna Castillo". CineyTele (in Spanish). May 27, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ ""La vida era eso", premio ASECAN a la Mejor Película del Festival de Sevilla". Agencia EFE (in Spanish). November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ "Petra Martínez, por "La vida era eso", premio a la Mejor Actriz en el Festival de Sevilla". Canal Sur (in Spanish). November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ ""La vida era eso" drama vitalista que llega a los cines el 10 de diciembre". Cinemagravia (in Spanish). May 17, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Matheou, Demetrios (July 23, 2021). "'That Was Life': Transilvania Review". Screen International. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Rivera, Alfonso (September 11, 2021). "Crítica: La vida era eso" (in Spanish). Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Rebolledo, Matías G. (11 December 2021). "Lista completa de ganadores de los Premios Forqué 2021". La Razón.
- ^ "'La hija', mejor película andaluza del año en los Premios ASECAN 2021". Cine con Ñ. 18 December 2021.
- ^ "Palmarés completo de los Premios Feroz Zaragoza 2022". Cinemanía. 30 January 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ "'Alegría y 'Sevillanas de Brooklyn', las más nominadas a los primeros Premios Carmen del Cine Andaluz". Audiovisual451. 14 December 2021.
- ^ "'La hija' de Manuel Martín Cuenca, coronada en la primera edición de los Premios Carmen del cine andaluz". Audiovisual451. 31 January 2022.
- ^ "'El amor en su lugar' arrasa en las Medallas CEC con hasta seis premios, todos los principales". Cine con Ñ. 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Palmarés completo de los Premios Goya 2022: 'El buen patrón', mejor película". Cinemanía. 12 February 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ Aller, María (15 March 2022). "Premios Unión de Actores 2022: 'El buen patrón' arrasa entre los premiados". Fotogramas.
External links
edit- That Was Life at IMDb
- That Was Life at ICAA's Catálogo de Cinespañol