''Carmina and Amen'' ( es, Carmina y amén, links=no) is a 2014 Spanish comedy film directed by

Paco León Francisco León Barrios (born 4 October 1974), known as Paco León () is a Spanish actor, producer, director, screenwriter and activist. Born in Seville, León began his career in television comedy roles in Andalusian regional productions. Follow ...

, starring Carmina Barrios as the title character alongside María León, Paco Casaus,

Yolanda Ramos Yolanda Ramos (born 4 September 1968) is a Spanish actress and comedian from Catalonia. He has featured in supporting performances in films such as ''Carmina and Amen'' and television series such as ''Paquita Salas'' and ''Cardo''. Biography Y ...

, Teresa Casanova and Mari Paz Sayago. It is a sequel to the 2012 film ''

Carmina or Blow Up Carmina or Blow Up (Spanish: Carmina o revienta) is a Spanish comedy-drama film, directed and written by Paco León. The film stars his mother Carmina Barrios (Carmina), his sister, María León (actress), María León (María), Paco Casaus (Anto ...

''.

Plot

The plot takes place in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. Following the sudden death of her husband, Carmina decides not to report the death so she could clinch an extra pay.

Cast

Production

The film is an Andy Joke and

Telecinco Cinema Telecinco Cinema, S.A.U. is the film production division of Mediaset España. It produces both feature films and television films. History Telecinco Cinema is a subsidiary film company of Mediaset España. Formerly known as Estudios Picasso, the ...

production, with the participation of

Mediaset España Mediaset España (), full name Mediaset España Comunicación, S.A., is a Spanish media company, controlled by the Italian company MFE - MediaForEurope. Its divisions include the generalist free-to-air TV channels Telecinco and Cuatro, thematic ch ...

and

Canal+ Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

. It was shot in

in 2013. Shooting locations included the Hotel Alfonso XIII and an apartment in .

Release

The film was presented at the 17th

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Film Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since 2017, ...

on 22 March 2014. Distributed by A Contracorriente Films, it was theatrically released in Spain on 30 April 2014. It grossed around

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

2 million at the Spanish box office.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' considered that, compared to the first installment, the film "still feels fresh, but it's also more polished, sharper, and funnier", featuring a thin plot, essentially a device "to allow the larger-than-life Carmina to be herself". Mirito Torreiro of ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó a ...

'' rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, praising the Paco León's leap forward as a filmmaker, noting that the film preserves a "sharp sociological look", and a "

costumbrista ''Costumbrismo'' (sometimes anglicized as costumbrism, with the adjectival form costumbrist) is the literary or pictorial interpretation of local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs, primarily in the Hispanic scene, and particularly in the 19t ...

and deeply Andalusian humor, but with universal repercussions and echoes", featuring an "extraordinarily effective" supporting cast, chief among them Yolanda Ramos. Carlos Marañón of ''

Cinemanía ''Cinemanía'' is a Spanish language monthly film magazine based in Madrid, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)( ...

'' also gave 4 stars, assessing that the film picks up the autochthonous folk humor and takes it to a place somewhere close to post-humor, also pointing out at the "incommensurable" performance by Yolanda Ramos, determining the sequel to be "the perfect culmination". Jordi Batlle Caminal of ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , Spanish for "The Vanguard") is a Spanish daily newspaper, founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan (Spanish copy is automatically translated into Catalan). It has its headquarters in Barcelona and i ...

'' wrote that the film is "a sequel that is on par, perhaps even a notch above, the original".

Accolades

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "2" , 2014 , , rowspan = "2" , 17th

, , Silver Biznaga for Best Screenplay , , Paco León , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actress , , Yolanda Ramos , , , - , align = "center" rowspan = "11" , 2015 , , rowspan = "7" ,

2nd Feroz Awards The 2nd ceremony of the Feroz Awards was held at the Gran Teatro Ruedo Las Ventas in Madrid, on January 25, 2015. It was hosted by actress Bárbara Santa-Cruz and aired on Canal+ Spain. Winners and nominees The nominees were announced on Decembe ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Comedy Film , , , , align = "center" rowspan = "7" , , - ,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

, , Paco León , , , - ,

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

, , Carmina Barrios , , , - , rowspan = "2" , Best Supporting Actress , , María León , , , - , Yolanda Ramos , , , - , Best Film Poster , , , , , - , Best Trailer , , , , , - , rowspan = "2" , 70th CEC Medals , , Best Supporting Actress , , María León , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best New Actress , , Yolanda Ramos , , , - ,

29th Goya Awards The 29th Goya Awards were presented at the Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel in Madrid on February 7, 2015 to honour the best in Spanish films of 2014. Actor and comedian Dani Rovira was the master of ceremonies. Nominees were announced on January ...

, , Best New Actress , , Yolanda Ramos , , , , , - ,

27th European Film Awards The 27th European Film Awards were presented on 13 December 2014 in Riga, Latvia. The winners were selected by more than 2,500 members of the European Film Academy. Nominations for the People's Choice Award category were announced on 1 Septembe ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Comedy , , , ,

References

{{authority control 2014 comedy films Spanish comedy films Films shot in the province of Seville 2010s Spanish-language films Spanish sequel films Films set in Seville Telecinco Cinema films 2010s Spanish films