I love to travel. That's why I have this job. But when I'm not traveling, I like to see movies that feature destinations that bring back memories of cities I've visited.
Any Europhile worth the stickers on her passport is bound to enjoy films featuring European destinations. And, like the promo for this film says, L'Auberge Espagnole is "Set against the dynamism of one of Europe’s hippest cities, Barcelona,"
Add to this a cast of young and attractive actors, music from Daft Punk to flamenco to Afro-pop to Chopin, and you should have a winner, no?
Well, I can't actually say. They didn't send me a tux and plane tickets to the French Oscar® equivalent, the César, to see it receive five nominations including Best Film, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Editing and Best Supporting Actress for Judith Godrèche. But they tell me it's been a runaway hit in France.
I'll have to wait like the rest of you to see L'Auberge Espagnole. But we won't wait long, the movie opens in limited release on May 16 and opens widely over the following weeks.
Here's a plot synopsis:
A student (Xavier) joins the "Erasmus" student exchange program and travels to Barcelona to study economics so he can get a better job in France.
But his accommodations are canceled and he takes a room in l'Auberge Espagnole, an inn which already houses a cultural stew of Europeans from France, Belgium, Spain, England and Denmark.
The group unites, even though there isn't a common language between them. Then the fun starts.
It's just like the real Europe today. I mean, the part we wanderers like: the cultural diversity.
Is it a travel movie? Filmmaker Cédric Klapisch thinks so:
"And I think this movie is really an advertisement for travel. Travel is against racism, against prejudice. It's all about curiosity and respect."
Cédric Klapisch in Eurstar and the Europudding, Guardian interview with Xan Brooks.
I've have to agree with his attitude at least. In fact, I can't find a reason not to see this film, especially since it promises some good scenes from Barcelona and Paris to squelch that winter wanderlust we travelers are especially susceptible to. l'Auberge Espagnole has garnered good reviews from the people who've seen it. Some professional reviews are listed in the resource box on the upper right.
Read on for more from the Production notes provided by Twentieth Century Fox.
