By Rachel Galvin
A troubled comic sits in the green room in front of a lit-up mirror (David Verdaguer) holding his head in his hands. He is supposed to go on stage in mere minutes, yet his mind is a million miles away. Looking more like an undertaker than a comedian, the bearded man when on stage appears melancholic, telling jokes while sitting on a hard stool and drinking, all the while smoking a cigarette. The man talking slow and steady has his set down to a science, but this routine was not always so cut and dried. In fact, there was a time when he was not doing comedy at all.
The film, “Jokes & Cigarettes,” directed by David Trueba, tells the true story of how comedian Eugenio Jofra became the most famous Catalan comedian in Spain, working mostly in the late 60s and 70s. His journey to stardom is not too difficult and yet he and his family undergo some tragedy along the way.
After the opening scene, the movie goes back in time to 1967 when he is rehearsing to get married. Looking disenchanted already, it is obvious this relationship is not going to go far. Luckily for him, true love is just around the corner, almost literally. When he hops on a bus, he discovers a warm and witty young singer (Carolina Yuste), who he chooses to follow and befriend, and the relationship bloomed from there.
The story is all heart, developing as he leaves behind his occupation as a jeweler to become a part of her journey in the singing world before, by happenstance finding his own talents and developing them. As tragedy befalls his later wife, Conchita, his success grows. But this man in black still remains morose, becoming more so it seems once he finds himself alone.
But in real life, his legacy lives on. The real Eugenio passed away at 59 years old and the club he and his wife once owned serves as spot for tribute every year.
This movie, told in Spanish with English subtitles, is a beautiful and poignant love letter to his comic genius and their relationship. It has won 11 Goya Awards and will be screening at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables, FL, starting on September 13. There will be an opening night reception. For more information, visit gablescinema.com.