An entire note could be dedicated to listing the weaknesses of “A hipster in empty Spain”, the new comedy from Prime Video, however, the film by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro with a script by Daniel Castro is, certainly, a concrete opportunity to see – and take note – of the various forks that the entertainment industry has taken ( cinema and television) in that country.
If we focus only on streaming, along with Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, Spain is one step ahead. And this is so for various reasons. High budgets, chain offerings, but mainly, a large number of customers willing to pay for exclusive and also ‘memory’ series and movies. Pay attention to the data: 25 million subscribers and revenues of 1.4 billion in 2022 (according to CNMC data collected by ‘El Español’).
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Although it emerged on a conventional channel, it was in streaming that “La casa de papel” evolved into a global success. The series created by Alex Pina and starring Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte and company, had five seasons and reissued every dollar invested to Netflix for several years. And although it did not always enjoy the pleasure of critics, it served to reaffirm the weight of the Spanish industry in that streaming universe that, some time later, would see examples of quality like “Fariña” (based on the book by Nacho Carretero and which also came out on Netflix) or “Patria” (based on the novel by Fernando Aramburu that came out on HBO, now MAX). Note the book/screen symbiosis that has only strengthened over time.
Only in a market of 25 million subscribers can it be explained that in the same environment where “La casa de papel”, “Fariña” or “Patria” were created, a proposal like “La Casa de Papel” now emerges.A hipster in empty Spain”. The film by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro is based on the book of the same name that the journalist and writer Daniel Gascón published in June 2020. Four years ago, and it is not a minor fact, his colleague Sergio del Molino published “La Españavacada” (Alfaguara, 2016), an ambitious essay that substantiated how between 1950 and 1970 “the Spanish countryside was emptied.”
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In the almost 100 minutes that this film lasts, the story can be analyzed from different levels. Enrique Notivol is very in love with Lina, but when she encourages him to leave her to “go to her for her dreams,” he doesn’t put up much resistance either. More than love for a woman, the protagonist of the Prime Video film feels a predilection to fulfill his project of saving these towns from death, “recovering them with green, inclusive and sustainable measures.” Along those lines, La Cañada seems like the perfect laboratory to apply what he has read in books for years. reasons and with various consequences.
As has happened and continues to happen in various countries (in Peru the phenomenon could perhaps be somewhat similar to migration due to the terrorist violence of the eighties), thousands of people leave towns in the so-called ‘interior’ to get as close as possible to the capitals. . Who then remains in ’empty Spain’? Older adults, some immigrants looking for temporary jobs, among others. But since there is so little population, these spaces lack the opportunities that metropolises or ports do offer, just to name two ‘antagonistic’ examples.
Visually, Emilio Martínez Lázaro’s film fulfills its primary objectives. The jump from Madrid to Teruel is graphically correct. You travel through immense roads, you can see many hectares of crops, and in La Cañada, everything seems to be anchored several decades ago.
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The latter is precisely what Enrique tries to change. We are not referring to structures, palaces or recreational centers. The protagonist of “A hipster in empty Spain” decides to focus on the mentality of the people who have welcomed him. And so he discovers that everything the books told him is put in front of him: we live in a patriarchal, misogynistic society that does not like sustainable energy nor does it seem very concerned about climate change.
It is very difficult not to feel empathy for a character like Enrique. Not necessarily because of his ideas, but because of his noble, well-intentioned and always purposeful behavior. This is precisely what Lourdes (Berta Vásquez), the waitress at La Cañada’s bar, realizes. She, an enigmatic woman with big eyes, sees the visitor as a ‘chancón’, and although she recognizes the validity of her progressive proposals, she immediately detects that her way of applying them is going to fail.
“A hipster in empty Spain” can also be seen as the incorrect way in which politicians (or politics) approach the common citizen. At some point, pushed by a stroke of luck (one of the weakest points of the plot, it must be said), Enrique decides to go from proposal to action, and runs for mayor of the town. Upon achieving this, he realizes that his ideas do not resonate with people who only want to stop fighting with their neighbors, harvest big tomatoes, or for the bus stop to have a roof that covers them from the sun. Here, then, political theory collapses and common sense makes its way.
Returning to the issue of the levels under which the Prime Video film can be analyzed, although the political and social aspects unfold before our eyes with as many (or perhaps more) weaknesses than successes, the sentimental and loving factor makes its way from time to time. Lina encourages Enrique from Madrid, but in reality she is about to (re)sleep with Gaspar. On the other hand, Lourdes’ feelings towards Mayor Enrique have mutated, from admiration to infatuation. This vein could perhaps have been exploited a little more in the script, instead of reiterating pseudo-erotic scenes between Lina and Gaspar over and over again.
Martínez Lázaro’s film, although imperfect, has moments capable of touching our fibers. The scene of the people dancing to the tune of Juan Luis Guerra is one. The way in which everyone turns to save the hopeless young mayor is much more so. The ‘almost’ hug between Enrique and his predecessor is also effective. In itself, it is these small moments that end up rescuing a proposal that, far from the great successes mentioned at the beginning of this note, could surely resonate with some viewers interested in unique proposals with which they can feel identified. Finally, at some point we could all be a little like Enrique Notivol.
A HIPSTER IN EMPTY SPAIN/PRIME VIDEO
Synopsis: Quique is sent to a town in deep Teruel Spain to direct his recovery policy, but he soon discovers that he was sent there so that his girlfriend and the leader of his party could spend more time together.
Director: Emilio Martínez Lázaro
Cast: Lalo Tenorio, Paco León, Berta Vásquez, Macarena García
