Raunchy Spanish cinema to survive a failed Saturday

Raunchy Spanish cinema to survive a failed Saturday

There is a subgenre of Spanish cinema that never shows up on the Goya Awards lists, but works better than any anti-anxiety pill: the raunchy comedy of the nineties and two-thousands. When Saturday turns into an existential failure, the answer is not drama, but a film that laughs at everything, including itself.

The list of recommendations for a "failed Saturday" includes titles such as Airbag (1997), Juanma Bajo Ulloa's road movie that turned violence into a gag; La Comunidad (2000), where Álex de la Iglesia portrays neighbourhood greed with dark humour; and oddities like Luger, which, legend has it, was shot in a business premises lent by a customer for the shoot. These are films that don't ask for permission, that go straight for the gutter and know their only mission is to entertain.

Parodies and homages: the other Spanish cinema

But the list doesn't stop at the classics. There is also room for shameless parody: Regazo, Dude, Where's My Car?, Superbad or Punk Story, titles that play with American cinema and tear it apart with flair. And there is no shortage of political spoofs like "Sánchez. Ese hombre" or "Parque Boláñico", proving that Spanish humour remains a minefield.

Among the more recent gems, Una de zombis (2004) stands out, a pavor comedy antiestéticaturing Santi Segura playing himself, "torrenteando" in a cameo that sums up the spirit of this whole movement: nothing is sacred, not even Torrente himself.

Why do these films work?

The answer is simple: they don't try to be art. They are films that understand that a viewer on a grey Saturday isn't looking for a message, they're looking for escapism. And they deliver it with absurd dialogue, caricatured characters and an absolute disregard for good taste. In an age of political correctness, that is almost an act of rebellion.

The question is whether these films are art or simply a pastime to help you forget there are no "chortinas" (a slang term for easy money). Perhaps the answer matters less than the laughter they provoke.