‘El Planeta’ Review: A Comedy of Austerity


“El Planeta” is a Spanish comedy that starts with a bargain and financial mistakes. The film’s director, Amalia Ulman, plays Leo, a fashion student who meets up with a middle-aged man to discuss his sexuality, not his tailoring services. Leo’s coffee date reveals his preferences and quirks, and Leo sets his price. Her boyfriend laughs in response. He explains that in Gijón, Spain, blowjobs can go for 20 euros, not the 500 euros he suggests. Even sex work cannot earn a living wage in “El Planeta”.

After a failed attempt to earn an honest salary, Leo returns to the apartment he shares with his mother (played by Amalia’s real mother, Ale Ulman). There is no food in the fridge, no bills paid, and neither mother nor daughter is working. Instead, they make a living by scamming, wearing fur coats to dine at restaurants with unpaid bills. Leo is contradictory, but his mother is gleefully committed to the deception, no matter the consequences. At least he says food is always free in prison.

It’s a dry comedy that earns recognition for having fun rather than laughing out loud, and as a first-time feature director, Ulman makes shrewd decisions to set a cynical tone. The film was shot in black and white and the music was used very little. Even as Leo and his mom go flashy with bespoke gowns and designer t-shirts, they’re visually trapped in a world of austerity. Like its rogue characters, “El Planeta” refers to luxury, but not luxury, creating an experience intellectually rather than emotionally satisfying.

El Planeta
Not rated. Spanish, with subtitles. Duration: 1 hour 19 minutes. In movie theaters.



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