Some movies are "big" movies: Oscar winners or well remembered. Some movies are "small" movies: they do not intend to get the Oscar, to be a cinematic master piece, or to be remembered. They simply try not only to have us enjoy of around two hours of enjoyable time, but also to get us think or be exposed to interesting aspects of human lives.
Live Twice, Love Once - is certainly an example of the second category. This "small" Spanish comedy, which provides us an enjoyable time, and touches on so many issues of aging, dementia, and family relationships in old age.
The plot is simpe: The main hero, Emilio (played by Oscar Martinez), is a former professor of mathematics, and a widower, living on his own in the city of Valencia, next to his daughter and her family. He starts to experience memory loss, and is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. His daughter, Julia (played by Inma Cuesta) who is married and has a single daughter (with a physical disability), tries to assist her father, and offers him to move in and live with her and her family - but he refueses. As the movies progresses, it turns out that Emilio had a childhood lover, Margarita, a kind of a lost youth love, of which he still has strong memories. He decides to try to find and meet her, to see if she also has (or had) good memories of him as well.
From this point, the movie becomes the journey of Emilio, to find and meet Margarita - a journey that due to twists and turns in the story, both his son-in-law and his granddaugher, get invovled as well. I will stop here so as not to spoil the movie.
This is certainly an enjoyable drama-comedy. And, it is certainly a gerontological movie, as it touches on so many different key issues of aging: Alzheimers, inter-generational relationships, life-course perspective, aging and technology, and many more.
The weakness of the movie - is not only its simplistic (not to say stereotypical) description of Emilio and his relationships with his daughter and granddaughter - but also that is touches on so many different issues, and includes so many different sub-plots (e.g. the fact that his granddaugher has a physical disability; the fact that his daughter marriage is breaking down; and so many more....).
So yes - do see it. But don't expect a "big" movie.
2019
Spain
Director: Maira Ripoll
Officail Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1gr3KGxUjc
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