What a trip Spain must be for Americans! The joie de vivre is so palpable in the air, the sun-kissed buildings, the saturated colors, the siestas and fiestas, and the different mentality when it comes to sex. The list goes on. Now imagine being transported to Spain a little over half a century ago, 1965, to be precise. That’s exactly what filmmaker Carol Polakoff does, along with co-writers Natxo López and John Milarky, in the effervescent film Speak Sunlight. It may not present anything new under the sun, but what a magical glow that sun gives off!
A couple, Manolo (Karra Elejalde) and Maruja (Carmen Machi) return to their hometown of Pamplona after 30 years of working as a butler and nanny at a diplomatic residence in Paris. They take Alanito (Matteo Artuñedo), an American 16-year-old boy they basically consider their son, along with them. Upon arrival, they literally smell the ground of their homeland, which is the extent of their relief from being home. We follow the trio as they engage in a sunflower chase, overcome the mild hostility of Maruja’s mother-in-law and the feeling of being foreigners in their homeland, and uncover secrets that shall not be revealed here. Let’s just say that they repent, fall in love, forgive, and reconcile. It ends on a note both sad and inspiring.
“…return to their hometown of Pamplona after 30 years of working as a butler and nanny at a diplomatic residence in Paris.”
Polakoff tells a relaxed, sometimes dramatic, often uplifting story that unfolds gradually and pleasantly. Akin to reading a book that may not be extra-challenging but is always cozy and engaging, Speak Sunlight wraps you in a warm blanket, and you remain in its warm embrace long after the final frame fades. The relationships and characters brim with humor, and the tone is often cheeky, sometimes chuckle-inducing (there’s a character who’s convinced he’s Hemingway’s son).
Beautiful cinematography captures the sun-kissed villas and vistas of Spain, as well as the period details. The performances are top-notch, especially from Carmen Machi, who effortlessly reveals a lifetime’s worth of baggage while maintaining a hopeful, even joyful, disposition. The penultimate scene, taking place in a church, is sure to tug at your heartstrings. The production values are equally impressive – you want to step into every other shot, take a deep breath, and feel the warmth of the sun, the bliss of that first kiss.
Speak Sunlight is about family, love, one’s connection to home, overcoming obstacles… But at its heart, it’s a coming-of-age story, one that many viewers will find supremely relatable. “Look at these Americans!” Maruja says at one point while glimpsing violence on TV, and one can’t help but share her distaste. “Now this is Spanish sun!” Alanito exclaims in another scene, ecstatic, lounging at a hotel while eating an impressive breakfast. You may not learn how to speak it, but you’ll certainly feel the sunlight in this charmer of a film.
"…you’ll certainly feel the sunlight in this charmer of a film."
