''The Unexpected Life'' () is a 2014 Spanish-American comedy-drama film directed by and written by

Elvira Lindo Elvira Lindo (born 23 January 1962) is a Spanish journalist and writer. Biography Lindo was born in Cádiz. At the age of 12 Lindo moved to Madrid, where she studied journalism at Complutense University of Madrid. She did not get her degree, ...

, which stars

Javier Cámara Javier Cámara Rodríguez (born 19 January 1967) is a Spanish actor. He became known for two television roles as a priest in '' ¡Ay, señor, señor!'' and ''Éste es mi barrio''. He has since featured in films such as '' Torrente, the Dumb Arm ...

Carmen Ruiz Carmen Ruiz Hernández (born 28 July 1974) is a Spanish actress primarily known for her television work although she has also done theatre and film. She earned early visibility in her career for her performances in ''Mujeres (TV series), Mujeres' ...

Raúl Arévalo Raúl Arévalo Zorzo (born 22 November 1979) is a Spanish actor and director. He has featured in films such as '' Dark Blue Almost Black'' (2006), '' Seven Billiard Tables'' (2007), '' The Blind Sunflowers'' (2008), '' Fat People'' (2009), '' Co ...

Tammy Blanchard Tammy Blanchard is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as teenage Judy Garland in the critically acclaimed television film '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' (2001), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nom ...

and

Sarah Sokolovic Sarah Sokolovic is an American film, television, and theatre actress, who starred in '' Homeland'' as Laura Sutton and has a recurring role on '' Big Little Lies''. She has also performed on stage, including in ''The Shaggs: Philosophy of the ...

Plot

The plot concerns the developments following the meeting of Juanito (who settled in New York hoping to pursue an acting career), with his cousin (), who arrives in NYC to pay Juanito a visit.

Cast

Production

A Spanish-American co-production, ''The Unexpected Life'' was produced by Ruleta Media and La Vida Inesperada AIE alongside LVI Inc., with the participation of TVE,

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

and Cosmopolitan TV, collaboration of Numérica Films and support from ICAA and IVAC. Shooting began in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in March 2013.

Release

The film was presented to the main competition of the 17th

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since ...

on 28 March 2014, screened at the Teatro Cervantes. Distributed by Universal Pictures International Spain, the film opened in Spanish theatres on 25 April 2014.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' considered the film to be "a wasted opportunity, largely because of a script which seems unable to decide whether it wants to deliver romance or reality", while noting that lead performers Cámara and Arévalo do not fail to deliver and the score by Godoy and Jusid "is a terrific piano and orchestra". Carlos Marañón of ''

Cinemanía ''Cinemanía'' is a monthly film magazine based in Madrid, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost po ...

'' rated the film 3½ out of 5 stars, assessing that, in a rare instance of "comedy film taking good people seriously", Torregrossa "has found the perfect bitter tone to make a comedy rise above its jokes", with the "invaluable" help from Carmen Ruiz. Toni Vall of ''

Ara Ara may refer to: Biology * ''Ara'' (bird), a genus of parrots * Ara (fish) (''Niphon spinosus''), a species of fish * L-arabinose operon, also known as ara Places * Ara (mountain), a mountain in Armenia * Ara, Armenia, a village in Armenia ...

'' scored 4 out of 5 stars, deeming ''The Unexpected Life'' to be "fatalistic and luminous", "a story in chiaroscuro, tinged with melancholy and inhabited by a beautiful realism".

Accolades

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "3" , 2015 , , rowspan = "3" ,

2nd Feroz Awards The 2nd ceremony of the Feroz Awards was held at the Gran Teatro Ruedo Las Ventas in Madrid, on January 25, 2015. It was hosted by actress Bárbara Santa-Cruz and aired on Canal+ Spain. Winners and nominees The nominees were announced on Decembe ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Comedy Film , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Actor , , Javier Cámara , , , - , Best Original Music , , Lucio Godoy, Federico Jusid , ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unexpected Life, The 2014 comedy-drama films 2014 films Spanish comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City 2010s Spanish-language films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Films scored by Lucio Godoy Films scored by Federico Jusid English-language comedy-drama films