2014 is a year many Spaniards won’t forget in a hurry. You may be thinking, “Oh, it’s the year that began their recovery from the financial crisis that devastated the country for more than half a decade.” You’d be right, but not entirely, because it’s also the year Spanish Affair (or Ocho apellidos vascos) was released. Aside from its impressive showing at the local Box Office, this movie became one of Spain’s most successful ever by somehow getting the whole country to agree on something.
It has the basic rom-com setup and features a guy from Seville with more charm than sense falling for a Basque woman who was having none of his shenanigans. He then follows her North and pretends to be Basque to impress her father, and from there, everything sort of goes off the rails. More than 10 years later, you can bet that people in Spain still binge on it when they need that comfort watch. It’s also a reminder that they’re not so different from one another.
How ‘Spanish Affair’ Turned Regional Rivalries into Comedy Gold
If you need to know anything about Spain, it’s the fact that the people love making fun of each other. The beauty of Spanish Affair is that the creators tapped into that, taking the all those inside jokes Spaniards love to whisper at dinner tables and putting hem on the big screen. Ultimately, the magic of the movie goes beyond the plot to the seemingly small details. Watching those small moments of comedy gold in this movie gives a clue as to why it generated so much buzz upon its release. Scenes like Rafael (Dani Rovira) butchering Basque pronunciation so badly that he insults someone’s grandmother perfectly illustrate this. Overall, the movie immediately gives the sense that it was made by people who truly understand the messy, complicated, and often hilarious realities of Spanish regional identities.
More so, audiences enjoyed every bit of the drama. Nothing proves this more than the impressive box office numbers. It earned over $77 million in Spain, becoming the country’s highest-grossing Spanish film of all time. It even spawned a successful sequel, Ocho apellidos catalanes (Eight Catalan Surnames), which was released in November 2015. That kind of cultural impact is, for lack of a better word, mind-blowing. Suddenly, everyone — from Madrid to Bilbao — was in on the joke, easily quoting lines from the movie.
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‘Spanish Affair’ Mixed Laughs With a Surprisingly Honest Heart
While the creators of Spanish Affair achieved their goal with the jokes and cheery banter, they also created an honest, heartfelt story about being vulnerable and awkward and really, really liking someone. More importantly, they did it in a way that didn’t feel like a cliché. For instance, Rafa wasn’t built as this suave, smooth player. In fact, he’s a walking, talking disaster human who’s way out of his depth. The film also goes from funny to heartfelt in moments like when Amaia (Clara Lago) starts seeing through him and basically asks him why anyone would pretend to be Basque. His answer, “Because you’re Basque,” hits you right in your soul. It’s funny but also very touching, which is the real magic of the film. The humor never overshadows the emotion. One moment, it makes you laugh so hard, and the next, it sneaks in a dose of heart when you least expect it. Their chemistry feels messy and spontaneous because it doesn’t come from perfect lines but from awkward silences and half-smiles.
It’s also very crucial to mention that the creators could have taken the easy way out and overlooked all the couple’s differences, but they didn’t. Instead, they kept things fresh by suggesting that maybe those differences are what make them interesting. That’s why when Rafa eventually drops the act and fully owns his heritage as an Andalusian, it’s not depicted as a grand romantic gesture. Instead, it showed audiences a man who became tired of pretending to be who he was not. Admittedly, that is something anyone who’s privileged to see the movie will acknowledge and respect.
Overall, there’s no doubt that if you put your mind to it, you’d probably find more flashy and funnier Spanish rom-com movies. However, there’s something about Spanish Affair that sets it apart from all others. With all the constant bickering on social media these days, this movie reminds us that sometimes the best way to handle our differences is to laugh about them together.
Watch Spanish Affair on Apple TV to see why it captured the hearts of everywhere, and why it still feels relevant today.
