The film ‘Aída’ remains the top grosser in Spain for the second consecutive week. There are already almost 3 million euros raised and almost 500,000 spectators, so we are facing one of the phenomena of the year, especially for Spanish cinema. Half the way had already been done, since we are talking about one of the most emblematic series on the grid so far this century, and absolutely everyone remembers its characters, but word of mouth is also benefiting it.
‘There and back’ works on several levels. The first and fundamental is the comic. There are several hilarious scenes. The humor of the series may not have been the most intelligent, it was not even as brilliant as the best seasons of ‘7 Lives’, but there are several gags that make the audience laugh, such as the one about the psychologist who loses her temper talking about assertiveness, the one about Paco León’s ass or the cameo by Angels Barceló “we all make mistakes.”
Secondly, the film opts for a risky “meta” structure. As the long header reveals, in this film Carmen Machi plays Carmen Machi, Paco León plays Paco León, Eduardo Casanova plays Eduardo Casanova… and so on. We simultaneously attend a hypothetical filming of an episode of ‘Aída’ and the episode of ‘Aída’ itself, which can also later be viewed online through a QR code.
This narrative pirouette produces some excellently paced scenes in which the viewer hears a phrase spoken by Luisma, followed by a phrase spoken by Paco León. Character and actor who gives him life, perfectly distinguishable. León as director and co-writer emerges very successfully from this somersault after the small fiasco that was the experimental ‘Rainbow’, and here he also comes up with a totally tender and emotional ending that serves both for the series and for “real life.”
That brings us to the third point, a reflection on the television world and the fame it brings. The reactions that the actors suffer on the street from people range from affection (the character who has lost his brother) to hatred (the homophobic attacks on Casanova) to the fan who believes he has the right to take a selfie with the actor or actress on duty whenever he pleases, without taking into account the mood of his “idol.” The film also contains a reflection on the limits when it comes to exploiting a successful series, when the actors already hate it, feel like slaves to it or have even developed health problems. For this reason, we must respect the only absence in the cast, that of Ana Polvorosa (Lore).
Set in 2018, when the series had actually ended in 2014, ‘There and Back’ is a return to a Spain that we hardly remember anymore, in which Maxim Huerta is minister of culture for a few days. Pre-pandemic Spain, in which #MeToo had hardly been talked about, a sitcom could allow politically incorrect, deeply racist jokes, or sexual abuse during filming was not yet a reason for a fiction to be canceled. I don’t want to give spoilers, but it is strange that Pedro Sánchez has not yet commented on his “appearance” in this film. At the time.
‘There and back’ is a journey through time, but above all an unbeatable way to close a much-loved series, with an original approach, many open fronts and reflections, and a certain kinship with the great success of ‘The Studio’ in the United States last year.
