Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed

Spain, 1966. Antonio teaches English at a provincial school and does it through Beatles lyrics; that is how he teaches the language. He hears that John Lennon is in Almería on a film shoot. He gets in his car and drives; what he wants is to ask Lennon for printed versions of the lyrics. On the road he picks up two people: a sixteen year old boy who has run away from home and a pregnant young woman. David Trueba writes and directs. Javier Cámara plays Antonio. The starting point is real. John Lennon was in Almería in 1966 to act in Richard Lester's How I Won the War, and while he was there he began writing Strawberry Fields Forever. The film's title comes from the words of that song. The period stands constantly behind: Spain under Franco, the police, and how little room women and the young had to move. The film does not debate this, it shows it as obstacles on the journey. It won six Goya awards in Spain, including best film, best director and best actor. Javier Cámara's character carries optimism as a position, and the film gives it without making it naive. Who it is for: viewers interested in Spanish cinema, road films and the music of the sixties. Who it is not for: little happens, the narrative is light, and the ending stays where it is expected.