Friday, March 29

‘The good boss’ prevails in the Goya over an Almodóvar who leaves empty


the good boss It has met all the expectations of the night, and some more. The 20 nominations for the film could be a gift or a poisoned candy, but Fernando León de Aranoa has come out unscathed at the 36th edition of the Goya Awards with six statuettes for him. Next on the podium are The laws of the borderwith five, and Maixabel and Mediterranean with three each. The surprise has taken parallel mothers by leaving without any award, not even that of actress or soundtrack, the two categories to which she aspires at the Oscars.

The Goya 2022 gala, in pictures

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“The successive labor reforms, which did so much damage to workers’ rights, encouraged me to write this story”, said Fernando León de Aranoa in his first foray onto the Valencian stage to pick up the Goya for Best Original Screenplay, where he also has remembered José Luis Borau and his famous phrase that “to make movies, you need to be in love”. Shortly after he would go up for the bobblehead for Best Director. But there were still several joys left for him. the good boss. And the biggest, the most important recognition, has been the award for Best Film.

The Pattern Javier Bardem has fulfilled the bets and has collected his sixth Goya award, which has begun by thanking the director. But above all, he dedicated the award to two of the women in his life: Penélope Cruz –”the woman I love, respect, admire and celebrate every day”– and Pilar Bardem, who passed away last July –”the woman who gave birth to me, taught me to live and helped me survive. An ethical and committed reference, and apart from an immense actress, one of the best human beings I know”–.

The first award for the good boss has come for her music, composed by one of the few women to break the gender gap in the soundtrack industry. Zeltia Montes, still shaking, has found the courage to ask producers to reflect on the power of music in movies and to pay for it. “The history of music has not been very grateful to the composers, and neither has that of cinema. The works arrive with a dropper and the budgets are not enough,” she has launched. Another woman, María José Llergo, has collected the Goya for Best Original Song for the sea awaits youthe beautiful main theme of Mediterranean.

A long reunion without surprises

COVID-19 has not gone away, as the masks in the audience have shown, but the forced video calls and the coldness of the 2021 gala have luckily been left behind. The imaginary of the reunion has flooded everything, from the red carpet to the thanks. These have included few political mentions and hardly any reference to the health crisis, which is still plaguing the country and from which the film sector continues to recover. Although the gala has become too long, reaching three and a half hours, some speeches have found a way to move and fuel the tedium.

The president of the Film Academy, Mariano Barroso, has known how to do it. He has vindicated the profession of interpreters, who despite being the most numerous professionals in the film industry, suffer 90% unemployment. “Actors and actresses only have paid work one day out of ten,” he stressed, asking that “the rights of any other profession” be recognized. But he also wanted to remember three great figures who recently passed away: Almudena Grandes, Pilar Bardem and Verónica Forqué. “No one ever hid their pain in a more beautiful way,” he said about the latter, actress and good friend of the president.

Faces that have reappeared in the in memoriam, sung by the beautiful voice of Luz Casal. This has been the most outstanding musical moment of the night, despite the fact that it has shared the stage with Joaquín Sabina, Leiva, Bebe or C. Tangana. The choral presentation that the Academy has promoted so much has been blurred by too many faces with little or nothing memorable contributions.

For her part, Blanca Portillo has collected the Goya for Best Actress for her performance as Maixabel Lasa in the film of the same name by Icíar Bollaín. She has dedicated her “unconditional love” to her misnamed category competitors, to the director of the film and, especially, to Maixabel and her husband, Juan Mari Jaúregui, murdered by ETA.

Given the lack of good speeches, those who have stood out have double merit. “I hope that this film helps to stop the Mediterranean from being a great mass grave”, said the director of production of Mediterranean, a film that hasn’t turned out badly either in number of awards, with three of the seven to which it aspired. Albert Espel wanted to dedicate his Goya “to the people who save lives on our beaches and even more so off them” and it was one of the most applauded interventions of the night.

Nora Navas, chosen as Best Supporting Actress for Liberty, has thanked Clara Roquet for her courage: “It is very difficult to get roles depending on what age and she has filled her film with women of all ages. So thank you, Clara”. Roquet has won the Goya for Best New Director. A feat that adds to another: having sneaked into the best five films according to the Academy.

The predictable winner in the secondary actor category was Urko Olazabal for his portrayal of former ETA member Luis Carrasco, in maixabel. The Basque interpreter has taken advantage of his speech to use inclusive language, one of the few in the entire ceremony. María Cerezuela has added another award to maixabel as Best New Actress for her heartbreaking role as the daughter of the assassinated socialist politician, María Jáuregui, to whom she dedicated her award. Her counterpart in the revelation actor category has been Jorge Motos for Luke.

Closing ovation for Blanchett and Sacristán

Although Spanish cinema was celebrated, the most anticipated presence in Valencia was undoubtedly that of Cate Blanchett. “Working with Pedro may improve my level,” said the Australian actress after acknowledging that her vocabulary in Spanish is reduced to “thank you” and another “good night.” Already in English, she has addressed some nice words to “such a rich cinematographic culture” and to “a legendary couple of cinema”, Penélope Cruz and Almodóvar, who have given her the bobblehead. The Manchego director will soon adapt the book Manual for cleaning ladies next to Blanchett. “If you combine brain, heart and hands you are an artist, and Pedro is an artist”, she has conceded.

Blanchett did take the opportunity to mention the pandemic, because according to her “it has been a time of very deep and very difficult uncertainty.” “I feel proud to belong to this sector, which has continued to create and has understood the responsibility that society returns to cinemas,” said the actress.

Although in a less grateful moment of the night, after almost three hours of ceremony, the deep voice of José Sacristán has been heard when collecting the Goya of Honor. It is the second of his life, since in his 60-year career he has only won one award from the Film Academy that today venerates him and that he founded 36 years ago: “I am proud to be one of the first twelve issues of this noble troop”, he has said as an original academic.





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