The so-called ''comedia madrileña'' or ''nueva comedia madrileña'' ('Madrid comedy' or 'New Madrid comedy') was a film trend or film label for urban comedies in Spain that emerged during the Transition. It was led by filmmakers such as Fernando Colomo and Fernando Trueba. Emphasizing the urban setting of Madrid and urban concerns, it consists of light, carefree comedies. Characters display an unmistakable

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

worldview, with the stories tending to bring to light the inner contradictions of the generation who had grown in opposition to the

Francoist regime Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

, even if the explicitly political elements generally feature as a backdrop. The sketch of the typical protagonist of the early ''comedia madrileña'' is that of a forty-year-old urban male with an mplicituniversity education, trapped in an

existential crisis In psychology and psychotherapy, existential crises are inner conflicts characterized by the impression that life lacks meaning. Some authors also emphasize confusion about one's personal identity in their definition. Existential crises are acc ...

. Despite some commonalities, mainstream ''comedia madrileña'' titles usually bear a tangential relation to the so-called '' Movida madrileña'', insofar the latter was conventionally regarded as more "underground". However

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; (often known simply as Almodóvar) born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. His films are marked by melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular culture, and complex narr ...

took over Colomo's template and moved it to a "much more transgressive" environment, indeed diving into the ''Movida madrileña'' in '' Pepi, Luci, Bom'' (1980). Seminal works of the are considered to be either Fernando Colomo's ' (1977) or '' What's a Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?'' (1978), also by Colomo. Another iconic title belonging to the film trend is Fernando Trueba's ''

Opera prima ''Ópera prima'' is a 1980 Spanish comic film directed by Fernando Trueba and starring Óscar Ladoire. It was written by Ladoire and Trueba. It is one of the most acclaimed Spanish Cinema films of the eighties. It is considered and iconic example ...

'' (1980). Other examples include Trueba's ', Miguel Ángel Díez's ''De fresa, limón y menta'' and José Luis Cuerda's ''Pares y nones''. A key figure in 1980s ''comedia madrileña'' films is actress Carmen Maura. The formula exhausted with the generational leap and the aging of the young "''

progres Progres may refer to: * Progres, Kardzhali Province, a village in Momchilgrad Municipality, Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria * El Progrés, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain * Toyota ''Progrès'', a mid-sized Japanese luxury sedan * FC Progrès Niederkorn ( ...

''" of the Transition. The template was somewhat updated to a new social context in the 1990s with films such as

Emilio Martínez Lázaro Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio (dis ...

's ''

The Worst Years of Our Lives ''The Worst Years of Our Lives'' ( es, Los peores años de nuestra vida, links=no) is a 1994 Spanish comedy film directed by Emilio Martínez Lázaro and written by David Trueba which stars Gabino Diego, Ariadna Gil, and Jorge Sanz. The film was no ...

'' (1994) and Álvaro Fernández Armero's ''

Todo es mentira ''Todo es mentira'' (''Everything's a Lie'') is a 1994 Spanish comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally h ...

'' (1994).

References

{{reflist Urban fiction Madrid in fiction Cinema of Spain Madrilenian cinema