L'Auberge
Espagnole, directed and written by Cédric Klapisch,
demonstrates that Europeans indeed enjoy their "melting
pot" differences and are indeed happy to be in a single
political home. The film focuses on a group of postgraduate
students in their early twenties who share an apartment
in Barcelona and become intimately acquainted with one
another's eccentricities. Most attention is directed to
Xavier (played by Romain Duris), whose father (played by
Jacno), a high-ranking civil servant in the French Ministry
of Economics, informs him early in the film that there
is a job for him if he becomes expert in the economics
of Spain. Accordingly, he applies for an Erasmus Scholarship,
says goodbye to his mother (played by Lise Lamétrie)
and sweetheart Martine (played by Audrey Tautou), and becomes
a student at the University of Barcelona. On the airplane
from Paris, a newlywed couple, neurologist Jean-Michel
(played by Xavier de Guillobon) and his wife Anne-Sophie
(played by Judith Godrèche), notices him holding
back tears, and they befriend him as they leave the airport.
Although his mother arranges Xavier's lodging with a relative,
that accommodation proves unacceptable, so he soon begs
Jean-Michel for a place to stay for a few nights while
he looks for an apartment; alas, Barcelona is a city with
few vacancies in his price range. He applies to live in
an apartment with several other Erasmus students and is
ecstatic when they accept him. All the students arrived
with some knowledge of Spanish, only to learn that lectures
will be in Catalán, the language spoken in Barcelona,
so attending class is not a priority. The fun begins as
he gets acquainted with his new roommates, including a
fastidious English gal, a sloppy Italian, a studious German,
a quiet Dane and his Spanish girlfriend, a guitar-playing
American, and a Lesbian Walloonian (from the French-speaking
part of Belgium). Fluent in two or more languages, the
students often communicate in English or whatever language
is spoken in common by those present in each scene, suggesting
that a new European language might be developing in a manner
similar to the Creoles around the world. (However, the "out" Lesbian,
admits that her Walloonian identity is in the closet when
visiting the Flemish-speaking part of her country.) The
film milks subplots for maximum humor, with each character
living somewhat up to the stereotypes of the country. For
example, the English student, Wendy (played by Kelly Reilly),
insists on a clean apartment, objecting to hair left in
the bathtub by the Italian, Alessandro (played by Federico
D'Anna). Wendy's silly brother William (played by Kevin
Bishop), who visits for a couple of weeks, goes too far
in teasing the German about his penchant for "order." In
part because of Xavier's absence from Paris and his failure
to honor her birthday, Martine finds another boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Jean-Michel asks Xavier to take his wife on
excursions, as she stays home a lot and is bored in a city
that is much more exciting than the focus on white slavery
in Barcelona that was depicted in A Tricky Life (2002).
Eventually, the two carry on an affair, but only after
the Lesbian, Isabelle (played by Cécile de France),
instructs Xavier on how to seduce a woman. Eventually,
Anne-Sophie tells Jean-Michel about the affair, and Xavier
is dumped for a second time. One day, Wendy starts carrying
on with the American, but when her boyfriend Alistair (played
by Iddo Goldberg) suddenly arrives in town, all her roommates
rush home to assist her. Her brother William saves the
day by pretending to be having a homosexual encounter with
the American in her room while she hides out under the
bed. Eventually, the year ends for Xavier. He returns home
to Paris, meets Martine for the last time, and gets the
promised job in the Ministry of Economics, including an
office of his very own. Presumably, he will be a success
in view of the many contacts that he made while in Spain.
Then he decides that he would prefer doing something else
after all. L'Auberge Espagnole pokes fun at bureaucracy,
at adult conformity, at the pressures on college students,
and at differences between the unspoiled Europeans who
all the same get along very well. Those living in a college
dorm or frathouse in the United States may take notice
of the delights both of going abroad and of receiving exchange
students. For those in Europe, where the Spanish call the
film La casa de locos, L'Auberge Espagnole (Spanish Hostel)
could be the pilot for a very successful television series. MH
I
want to comment on this film
