Mondays in the Sun (2002)

Very Good Movie

It is a very good movie, no nudity, lots of bad words but very good message January 13, 2008

Over 35, unemployed and unmarketable.Have you spent MONDAYS IN THE SUN?

If you have ever felt the sudden sting of hopelessness and helplessness and frustration that come with being unemployed,unmarketably too old and saddled with a sense of worthlessness,cast adrift,you will understand all too well MONDAY IN THE SUN.a painstaking look at six dear friends who have been laid off from the local shipyard.Director/writer Fernando Leon de Aranoa has crafted and filmed a very beautiful and quite intimate character study of these friends who meet at the local bar,discuss,complain,fight,sulk and find some humor in their situation.For film lovers who enjoy a well told story with exceptional acting that NEVER feels like acting,but rather a "fly-on-the-wall" observance of loss of human dignity,I can think of no better film.Unlike THE FULL MONTY, that turns tragedy into humor, MONDAYS IN THE SUN quietly stays focused on the ponderous issues at hand,yet never becomes preachy or heavy-handed in the least.This is a wonderfully thoughtful treatment of the dignity that one feels lost when work is not available.Truly 5 stars.Though Javier Bardem gets the top billing in this Spanish film,the movie is really an outstanding ensemble piece with an unusually intense bonding among all of the characters.The R rating for this film is ludicrous!!! Apart from the F word, there is nothing that anyone can find an objection!
Excellent companion films would be BRASSED OFF, THE FULL MONTY,MATEWAN,LAST RITES and GERMINAL. December 7, 2007

`All that we were told about communism was a lie', `but the worst thing is that all we were told about capitalism was true'

"Mondays in the Sun", directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, is a movie where not much happens. Despite that, it is worthwhile seeing, and remembering...

Why?. Because it tells us the story of a group of friends, former workers in a shipyard, who were sacked from their jobs and are unemployed. The spectators will watch them look repeatedly and uselessly for a new job, and deal with being unemployed and old in a society where most jobs are for young people. As a result, viewers are likely to realize that having a job isn't only about earning money, but also part of who we are, to a certain extent. And in the case of most of these men, their identities are in need of a redefinition that gives their lives new meaning.

This story takes place in Spain, but it could have been set in many other places. "Mondays in the Sun" is a film about unemployment and friendship, and those are things that are everywhere. As such, you are highly unlikely to find the message of this movie irrelevant. Even if you have a job (and that is my case), you probably know that some people don't, and that they suffer the consequences of that lack.

It is pertinent to point out that this isn't a film that will make you laugh. It is somewhat gloomy at times, and the actors play well the roles of people on the edge, eager to strike out at whomever is near them. Santa (Javier Bardem) is specially impressive as a man who doesn't have a clue regarding what to do with himself now that he doesn't have a job.

Another of the characters of this story is Serguei (Serge Riaboukine), a former Russian astronaut who is in Spain looking for a job. Serguei tells the others a joke: "Two old party comrades meet and one says `All that we were told about communism was a lie'. The other says `Yes, but the worst thing is that all we were told about capitalism was true'. In that silly joke, said by chance, we can find the root of the problem that aflicts these men...

Truth to be told, "Mondays in the Sun" tells us what happens to those left behind by capitalism. Of course, capitalism is not always good, but all the other systems are even worse. However, that doesn't mean we can deny that our system has problems that must be solved. This movie gets that point across powerfully, and because of that I highly recommend it.

Belen Alcat September 20, 2005

Sterling acting, shallow story

The story is imbued with the European mindset that people are owed a job and a meaningful life by either businesses or the government. Those who accept that view sacrifice their responsibility, and therefore a chunk of their humanity. So, the characters in this film hobble along rather pathetically and childishly, waiting for someone to restart their lives. Bardem is a fine actor, and the others do well, but this is a slight film offering no useful insights. It stands in stark contrast to films by the great director, Zhang Yimou, whose characters inhabit far more difficult conditions, but who struggle mightily to overcome the odds and maintain their pride. As one of the characters hints when slandering Koreans, a Europe awash in the welfare state has much to fear from industrious workers from Asia and elsewhere. November 13, 2004

The story of the losers

I cannot say I liked this film. The thing is that actors are great, story is developed calmly but not too slowly. Some scenes are plenty of interesting "messages".

For all of this, "Mondays in the Sun" is fantastic. What is the problem? The problem is the story itself. You can use best actors, best studios, best screenplay. But when the story is plain and gives you no new point of view of a well-known work conflict, you have the sensation you have been not a film, not even a documental, but an article in a TV magazine.

This film has been overprized and overpraised here in Spain. We have terrible work conflicts, and some of them have to do with naval industry. I think this film is very superficial because it shows dismissed workers as losers but happy. And those who have earned a life and have raised from nothing are shown as naive and sad.

And so this is not a good message for young people trying to earn for a life.

October 5, 2004

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