| Mondays In The Sun | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| 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 Enrique Villén Celso Bugallo Joaquín Climent Aida Folch Serge Riaboukine Laura Domínguez |
| Distributed by | Lions Gate (US) ? (Spain) |
| Release date(s) | 2002 |
| Running time | 113 min |
| Language | Spanish |
| Budget | ~ € 4.000.000 |
Mondays in the Sun (Spanish: Los Lunes al Sol) is a 2002 Spanish film directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem. The film depicts the degrading effects of unemployment on a group of men left jobless by the closure of the shipyards in Vigo, Galicia.
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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 the unofficial leader of the group. A court case hangs over him relating to a shipyard lamp he smashed during protest against the closure. José is bitter that his wife, Ana, is employed when 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 pursuing 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 nearer his son's age. Sergei claims his career as an astronaut was forestall by economic measures in the Soviet Space program.
The group of friends are observed by Nata, the landlords teenage daughter. She franchises her baby sitting job to Santa. The men also like relaxing by the sea where Santa dreams of going to Australia. Amador dies. 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 lamp.
Mondays in the Sun is available on DVD. It was released in Spain and in the USA. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles.
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 Almodóvar's Talk to her.
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