MONDAYS IN THE SUN
aka LOS LUNES AL SOL

Year: 2002
USA: Lions Gate Films
UK: Content Film
Cast: Javier Bardem, Luis Tosar, Jose angel Egido, Nieve de Medina, Enrique Villen, Celso Bugallo, Joaquin Climent, Aida Folch, Serge Riaboukine, Laura Dominguez, Pepo Oliva, Fernando Tejero, Andres Lima, Antonio Mourelos, Cesar Cambeira, Antonio Duran Morris, Luis Castro, Maria Luisa Martinez, Casilda Garcia, Monica Garcia, Luisa Merelas, Pablo de la Fuente, Belen Lopez, Denis Gomez, Miguel Barines, Gracia Mestre, Lois Seaxe, Isabel Cervino, Pablo Vazquez, Talco
Director: Fernando León de Aranda
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
USA: 115 mins
UK: 114 mins
USA Rated: R for language
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language
USA Release Date: 25 August 2003 (Limited Release Los Angeles and New York)
UK Release Date: 27 May 2005


Synopsis

Starring Javier Bardem in an acclaimed follow up to his Golden Globe nominated performance in last year's BEFORE NIGHT FALLS, MONDAYS IN THE SUN is the story of six friends variously struggling to make ends meet in the wake of a shipyard closure several years earlier in a depressed northern Spanish coastal city. The portrait of their friendship contrasted with their family lives is ultimately poignant and bittersweet.

MONDAYS IN THE SUN follows the lives of a small group of men who worked together on the shipyards until they were laid off because much of the work was farmed out to Korea. While all have been out of work for a while, save for the bar's owner Rico (Joaquin Climent) and for an underemployed fellow Reina (Enrique Villen) who is a night watchman, they are in different stages of cynicism.

Most hard hit is Amador (Celso Bugallo), who is older than the others and the heaviest drinker, a man who spouts almost unintelligible prose and is "waiting for his wife to return from a trip." He represents what may well happen to the others, such as Lino (Jose angel Egido), who has little hope of finding a job for which he is qualified and who is just plain too old to be hired by anyone despite his efforts at colouring his greying hair.

Ana (Nieve de Medina) is unhappily married to Jose (Luis Tsar), she suffers from a gruelling night job at a cannery, at risk of serious illness because her arthritic legs will not carry her much longer. Santa (Javier Bardem), the most magnetic in the group, buries his woes behind a jolly, flirtatious surface and pipe dreams of living in Australia if only he could afford a plane ticket. Only Nata (Aida Folch), the bartender's 15 year-old daughter, remains high-spirited though what she is learning by listening to these men is making her more mature than any young woman should be.

This film is not based on a real story. It is based on thousands.