Akademik

(1969- )

   Fernando Trueba's younger brother started in the film industry as scriptwriter for two Emilio Martínez Lázaro films: Amo tu cama rica (I Love Your Cosy Bed, 1992) and Los peores años de nuestra vida (The Worst Years of Our Lives, 1994), both starring his life-companion actress Ariadna Gil. His first film as director was La buena vida (The Good Life, 1996), in which he demonstrated his fascination with French culture and film. A melancholy family story inspired by François Truffaut and with important autobiographical connections, it was a risky enter-prise and remains his most heartfelt film, but its underwhelming box-office success forced him to wait four years before attempting another project. In the meantime, he continued to collaborate on scripts, including Perdita Durango (1997) for Alex de la Iglesia, La niña de tus ojos (The Girl of Your Dreams, 1998) for Fernando Trueba, and a in Tony Gatlif s gypsy tragedy Vengo (2000). He returned to direction with the comedy Obra maestra (Masterpiece, 2000), which seemed less personal than his previous film and was not very well reviewed. This was followed by the more prestigious Soldados de Salamina (Salamina Soldiers, 2003), a film adapted from one of the most successful Spanish novels of recent years, which featured an investigation into the past and reflected on the value of individual actions. His next feature was another comedy on growing up and taking responsibility, Bienvenido a casa (Welcome Home, 2006), starring Pilar López de Ayala as a mother-to-be, with up-and-coming Alejo Sauras and a good supporting cast which included Gil (in a part that moved away from her previous image), Concha Velasco, Jorge Sanz, and Juan Echanove. He also co-directed a film tribute to Fernando Fernán Gómez, which featured a long conversation with the actor-director: La silla de Fernando (Fernando's Chair, 2006).

   Historical Dictionary of Spanish Cinema by Alberto Mira