Members of the Spanish Film Academy, whose votes are used to hand out the Goya Awards each year, now form a group of more than 2,000 people, clearly representing many ages, cities of origin, sexual orientations, degrees of social affiliation. and insights into the ingredients needed in both a lentil casserole and, of course, a good movie. And so much diversity means that predicting where the Best Picture award will be awarded at the end of the ceremony on February 10 involves more risk than we dare to assume here. This review consists of imagining the criteria and arguments for each of the titles nominated in that category, which will guide you in making your decision.
‘20,000 species of bees’
From looks alone, Estíbaliz Urresola’s feature debut could be considered the Cinderella of the bunch.. It is the least notable a priori candidate because, unlike the others, its cast does not include actors immediately recognizable to the general public, and it is not inspired by historical or literary models whose previous fame it draws on; Moreover, the name of the director lacks the capacity to influence the decisions of his rivals’ academics on his own. But despite this and beyond its cinematographic merits, It has extraordinary potential to win them over, both because of the importance of the subject it covers (telling the story of a trans girl) and because it champions progressive values. It’s a situation where prize givers are often proud to be champions. Since we’re talking about rewards, Let’s remember that the ‘20,000 species of bees’ award was won at the Berlinale a year ago. and later won a handful of consecutive awards at the Malaga Festival and the Forqué and Feroz galas. The Cinderella of the group? More like a favorite.
‘Snow Society’
When the Oscar nominations in two categories were announced, those choosing the Goya winners had already cast their final votes.So they cannot have been affected by this in any way. In any case, by then he had several arguments in his favor to convince them: First, it is based on an absolutely fascinating true story: the story of those who died as a result of a plane crash in the Andes. The end of 1972 and the end of those resorting to necrophilia to survive; second, garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews -yes, how many voters will read these?-; Thirdly, it is as convincing as director J A. Bayona’s previous films, blending spectacle and sentimentality. In any case, it doesn’t hurt to look at the statistics to evaluate the chances of winning on the night of February 10: Three of the Barcelona native’s four previous features have won Goyas awards: ‘The Orphanage’ (2007) won seven awards, ‘The Impossible’ (2012) won five and ‘A Monster Comes to See Me’ (2016) won nine. And remember, they all came up empty in the Best Picture category.
‘One Love’
It is adapted from the novel of the same name by Sara Mesa, one of the biggest phenomena of Spanish literature in recent years.and so it’s possible that the aura of prestige that surrounded it even before its premiere helped it in the votes. And even more useful in this sense will be the shrewdness of its director, Isabel Coixet, in bringing the book into its own territory and providing the film with the type of drama that can move audiences and scholars alike. the original story is deliberately evasive. It should be noted that among the directors on this list, only Coixet has two feature films that earned Goya the Best Film award: ‘The Secret Life of Words’ (2005) and ‘The Bookseller’ (2017).and this record invites two opposing thoughts: first, it is clear that the Academy loves Catalan cinema; Secondly, due to the awards given in the past, perhaps its members have chosen to direct their preferences elsewhere this time.
‘You know this’
It recalls the early years of the career of the Catalan comedian Eugenio, and this means that he has several characteristics that have proven effective in seducing those responsible for giving awards, be it Goya, Oscar or Mari Puri. First, it recreates the life of an extraordinarily iconic historical figure who instantly connected with the collective imagination.. Secondly, it is set in show business and It tells about the struggle of an artist on his way to success; all academics went through a similar process. Finally, it qualifies as a tragedy, albeit by omission, because we all know what happened in Eugenio’s life during the years the film does not cover. As a curiosity, it’s worth remembering that director David Trueba’s last previous cut, which combined reviving Spain’s past with pop culture references, was ‘It’s easy to live with your eyes closed’ (2013), no more, no less, than the big winner of the Goya print a decade ago.
‘Close your eyes’
To mention its presence on this list, it is necessary to mention a fact that is shocking at first: its director, Víctor Erice is a living legend of our cinema, his first feature film.‘Soul of the Bucket’ (1973) is often cited as one of the greatest films in the world and of all time, but it is also He is the only filmmaker mentioned in this review who was not even nominated for an award until this year. goya. Although it is true that ‘Cerrar los ojos’ is the second feature film released by Biscayan since 1987, when these awards were first given, this may be because voters at that time ignored ‘El sol del membrillo’ (1992) -, It’s entirely possible that academics decided it was time to give it the respect it deserved.especially considering that the new film has ways of being testamentary, whether intentional or not. Erice also pays tribute to the power of cinema and the capacity of fictions projected on the big screen to make us understand everything and freeze time. So which voter who voted for this award would not be impressed by such an idea?