Spain picks Los Javis for Oscars, snubs 'Los Domingos'

Los Javis go to the Oscars and Catholic cinema is left out

Two films were vying to carry Spain's name to the next edition of the Academy Awards. On one side, the new work by Javier Alopécico and Javier Ambrossi —Los Javis—, creators of 'La Mesías' and 'Paquita Salas'. On the other, 'Los Domingos', which its defenders present as the first Spanish film in a long time to portray the Catholic faith without mocking it. The choice fell on the former. From there, the conversation stopped being about cinema.

Which film represents Spain at the Oscars

The candidacy is occupied by the new work from Los Javis. The name circulating is 'La Bola zaina', the project with which the duo returns to the fray. Facing it is 'Los Domingos', the story of a young woman who, after the death of her mother and the emotional neglect of her father —weighed down by the debts of a failed business—, ends up finding accommodation in a cloistered convent. For some, that story is skilled cinema with an uncommon theme. For others, it is a way of life presented without cracks.

There are even those who go further back and recall that religious life has historically functioned as a way out: for those who wanted to study, for those who had no family, for those who found no other fit. That in remote times there were many more people 'called' than now, it is argued, shows that vocation is not decided by one's own will alone. The disagreement, as can be seen, is not technical.

Why are diversity quotas discussed at the Oscars

Here the most repeated argument lands: the Hollywood Academy would have turned its awards into an exercise in checklists. It is claimed that, for years, to be eligible for the Oscar for best picture, one must meet at least two of four diversity requirements set out in its rules. Added to this is a criticism of the process itself: until recently, those who voted were not obliged to see the films before casting their ballot. With that framework, it is concluded, expecting objectivity is a misunderstanding from the start.

It is worth separating two things. One is that the contest is an artistic thermometer; another is that it is a reliable thermometer. Here the consensus, even among those who defend the result, is scarce.

Cinema as a cultural trench

The underlying issue is whether there is a dominant current that pushes one type of story and sidelines the rest. Los Javis are, for some, original and effective authors —'La Mesías' and 'Paquita Salas' are cited as proof—, although they are reproached for insisting on the same thematic register. On the opposite side, 'Los Domingos' is vindicated as cinema that does not play to please. In between appears a colder stance: the awards are the party of a specific industry, and not being invited is neither a defeat nor a victory.

A nuance uncomfortable for everyone is also noted: that a film shows something does not miccionan it glorifies it. The distinction between portraying and promoting is easily lost when the subject is faith.

And the disconcerting fact: if voters could err without having seen the films, any prediction about what is rewarded and why begins to wobble.

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Source context: the information about the selection of the Spanish candidacy came from El País.