L'Auberge espagnole
| L'Auberge espagnole | |
|---|---|
Castelao Producciones | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 122 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Languages |
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| Budget | €5 million[1] ($5.6 million) |
| Box office | $33.3 million[2] |
L'Auberge espagnole (French:
In the film, an economics graduate student from France, Xavier, spends a year in
The film is told in the first person by Xavier. The dialogue is mostly in French, with some English and much Spanish, a little Catalan, Danish, German and Italian.
It is the first instalment in the "Spanish Apartment" trilogy, which continues in the sequels Russian Dolls (2005) and Chinese Puzzle (2013).[4]
Plot
Xavier, a 24-year-old economics graduate student from Paris, attends the
Martine visits Xavier and returns disappointed when she realizes things are not the same. Xavier begins an affair with Anne-Sophie, using seduction tips learned from Isabelle, his lesbian roommate from Belgium. William arrives from England to visit his sister Wendy and creates tension with his abrasive manner and culturally insensitive comments.
Xavier becomes depressed and hallucinates after Martine breaks up with him. He seeks Jean-Michel's advice, but he tells Xavier that his wife has confessed everything, and tells him to stop seeing her.
Discord divides the roommates, but they come together to aid Wendy, who was nearly caught by her boyfriend Alistair in a sexual encounter with an American man.
After saying goodbye to his new close friends, Xavier returns to Paris and gets his desired job at the ministry, but realizes that his experiences in Spain have changed him. He subsequently runs away on his first day on the job and pursues his dream to become a writer, recounting the story of his experiences in the Auberge Espagnole. Towards the end, Xavier can be seen getting together with his now ex-girlfriend Martine as well.
Cast
- Romain Duris as Xavier
- Judith Godrèche as Anne-Sophie
- Audrey Tautou as Martine
- Cécile de France as Isabelle
- Kelly Reilly as Wendy
- Cristina Brondo as Soledad
- Federico D'Anna as Alessandro
- Barnaby Metschurat as Tobias
- Christian Pagh as Lars
- Kevin Bishop as William
- Xavier de Guillebon as Jean-Michel
- Wladimir Yordanoff as Jean-Charles Perrin
- Irene Montalà as Neus
- Iddo Goldberg as Alistair
- Martine Demaret as Xavier's mother
- Olivier Raynal as Bruce
- Paulina Gálvez as the flamenco teacher
- Jacno as Xavier's father
- Zinedine Soualem as the barman
Title
The phrase auberge espagnole is a French idiom, literally translated as "Spanish inn" or "Spanish hotel". It describes a place where customers can eat what they bring – by extension, that one must be independent.[5]
Another French interpretation is what in English is known as "Going Dutch" or "potluck", hence its English title.
A third meaning of auberge espagnole is a common resting area for travellers from a variety of different cultures and regions.[6]
Soundtrack
- Radiohead – "No Surprises" (three times)
- Daft Punk – "Aerodynamic"
- Sonia & Selena – "Que Viva La Noche" (twice)
- Marc-Antoine Charpentier – "Te Deum"
- Ali Farka Touré – "Ai Du"
- Opus 64 No 2Waltz in C sharp minor"
- Africando All Stars– "Betece"
- Mala Rodriguez– "La Cocinera"
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "This multicultural comedy captures the chaos and excitement of being young."[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[8]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane International Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | |
| César Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Cédric Klapisch | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Judith Godrèche | Nominated | |
Most Promising Actress
|
Cécile de France | Won | |
| Best Writing | Cédric Klapisch | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | Francine Sandberg | Nominated | |
| European Film Awards | People's Choice Award for Best European Film
|
Nominated | |
| Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | |
| Lumières Awards | Best Screenplay | Cédric Klapisch | Won |
Most Promising Actress
|
Cécile de France | Won | |
| Sydney Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated |
References
- ^ "L'Auberge espagnole". JP Box-Office (in French). Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ^ "The Spanish Apartment (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "L'Auberge espagnole – Cinémathèque française" (in French). La Bibliothèque du film. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ^ "Cédric Klapisch tourne Casse-tête chinois à New York". Le Figaro (in French). 11 September 2012. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ISBN 978-2-84670-078-8.
- ^ Planelles, Georges (2013). "Une auberge espagnole". Expressio.fr. Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "Euro Pudding". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "L'Auberge Espagnole". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
