Spanish Affair (2014)

Rafael, a Sevillian who has never left Andalucia, decides to leave his homeland to follow Amaia, a Basque girl unlike other women whom he has ever known.

Director:

Emilio Martínez Lázaro (as Emilio Martínez-Lázaro)

Writers:

Borja Cobeaga, Diego San José

Stars:

Clara Lago, Dani Rovira, Carmen Machi

11 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clara Lago	...	Amaia
Dani Rovira	...	Rafa
Carmen Machi	...	Merche
Karra Elejalde	...	Koldo
Alberto López	...	Joaquín
Alfonso Sánchez	...	Curro
Aitor Mazo	...	Padre Inaxio
Abel Mora	...	Pedro
Aitziber Garmendia	...	Iratxe
Miriam Cabeza	...	Edurne
Iñaki Beraetxe	...	Ertzaintza 1
Egoitz Lasa	...	Ertzaintza 2
Lander Otaola	...	Borroka 1
Mikel Roman	...	Borroka 2
Santi Ugalde	...	Conductor Kepa

Storyline

Rafael, a Sevillian who has never left Andalucia, decides to leave his homeland to follow Amaia, a Basque girl unlike other women whom he has ever known.

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Plot Keywords:

wedding | charade | father daughter relationship | spain | falling in love | 

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Taglines:

8 Basque or Madrilenian or Catalan surnames

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish Basque

Release Date:

14 March 2014 (Spain)

Also Known As:

8 Namen für die Liebe

Filming Locations:

Donostia-San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa, País Vasco, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

EUR3,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$76,459,450

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lazonafilms, Kowalski Films, Snow Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Highest grossing Spanish film in Spanish box office history.

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Alternate Versions

During the theatrical release, circulated two versions of the movie. One of them credited Borja Cobeaga incorrectly as Borja Cobega, while the other credited him correctly.

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: Torrente 5, El Corredor del Laberinto... (2014)

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Soundtracks

Sevilla tiene un color especial
Written by Miguel Ángel Magüesín (Miguel Ángel Magüesín de los Santos) and César Cadaval
Performed by Los del Río

User Reviews

Very funny Spanish comedy

This is indeed a very funny Spanish comedy, with good acting by all the leads, a solid script boasting plenty of amusing situations and dialogues that never become too over- the-top or superficial, and some beautiful shots of both País Vasco (Basque Country) and Andalucía (Andalusia).

A word of warning, though: This film plays with local accents and stereotypes, current and past Spanish politics, and memes that you will have to be familiar with ahead of time to understand the gags. It is also heavily reliant on how Spaniards envision Basques, thus limiting its comedic effect to Spanish audiences (or at the very least, people familiar with the aforementioned themes).

I, being a Spaniard, had no problem having fun with this film. As enjoyable as it was, however, I can't help but find it undeserving of being the most successful film at the Spanish Box Office of all time, considering all the great cinema and the superior films this country has created in the past. But perhaps it's not so much the quality but the timing of this film that has led to its success: This film makes you laugh and sends a message of unity and love despite our differences. This may just be what Spaniards need in such hard times.