Seattle Film Festival

Year of Grace, much like life itself, is a comedy that’s sometimes tragic but ultimately a highly entertaining—in the holiest way—story of hope for all of us who make mistakes and persevere long enough to try and fix them. David is 18 years old and newly arrived in Barcelona in search of an opportunity. It’s a familiar scene of youth venturing out into the world, unhindered by baggage, motivated with hopes of wild sex, partying and finally becoming an artist. What makes this different from most scenes is that David-as-youth is much more complicated than what is usually portrayed in film. Arranged through a school program, David stays with Grácia, the Archie-Bunker/Melvin-Udall monster of a woman who seems unsalvageable. And, like her nasty counterparts, Grácia is funny enough to spare us in the pews from having a panic attack. Their coexistence becomes, from the start, explosive. Will they realize in time that they need each other? One of the great stars of Spanish cinema, Rosa Maria Sarda, is featured alongside rising star Oriol Pla in this sharply observed comedy by one of Spain's best-loved auteurs, a keen and ever-surprising tale of desire looking for new forms of expression. The soundtrack is a veritable catalog of the best in new Catalan pop: Mazoni, Sanjosex, El petit de cal eril, Èric Vinaixa, Illa Carolina… ??