There is nothing better than unexpectedly finding a great movie. In Family I Trust or Gente Que Viene y Bah literally translates to “the people who come and go.” It has recently become one of my favorites in the highly competitive genre (in my opinion) of romantic comedies.
In Family I Trust is a Spanish romcom that follows a female architect, Bea, living in the busy city of Barcelona, Spain. Bea works at an architecture firm where her effort and ideas aren’t acknowledged. When her partner, Victor, cheats on her, with news anchor, Rebeca Ramos, Bea breaks down and confronts him at work, which gets her fired. She goes back to her hometown to reevaluate her broken relationship and a job that makes her question why she wanted to become an architect in the first place.
In her small beachside town, we are introduced to Bea’s family, composed of: Irene, the eldest sister who is the town’s mayor; León, Bea’s gay younger brother; Déborah, the youngest sister; Juan, Déborah’s husband; Fin, Irene’s son who is a nihilist (sees life as something meaningless); and Bea’s mother who has the gift of “diagnosing” acquaintances with their illnesses. Manel, León’s friend with benefits, and Diego, an attractive widow who drives around in a pink car, are also introduced.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
Bea’s family is far from your typical family. The way they deal with issues and the reason those problems even exist in the first place are quite questionable. However, this is what made it such an enjoyable movie to watch. Bea’s mother, who announces she has been diagnosed with cancer, and only has a year left to live wants to live the rest of her life with no regrets, unlike how she had been living up to her diagnosis. Another thing she wishes for, is for her children to stop worrying about their problems because things always find their way.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
Irene, for example, is constantly worried about the hate she receives from the people in her town. León on the other hand, doesn’t know how to go about his relationship with Manel, claiming that he doesn’t mind their causal arrangement, but secretly wishing it would become something formal. And Déborah, who has been hiding a life changing secret from her husband. The movie does not center around only Bea, so it is entertaining to watch each of the siblings’ problems unfold dramatically, but eventually finding a solution which highlights the mother’s message about things falling in place at their own time.
Bea’s story with Diego begins on her first day in town when she runs into him at a bar. Their first encounter isn’t exactly the kind that could be categorized as love-at-first-sight. On the contrary, they get off to a rocky start. However, through the inevitable close proximity that comes with living in a small town, and an unexpected job offering, they become close and develop more than just simple attraction.
When everything seems to be going well between Bea and Diego, Victor, Bea’s ex, comes to town convincing Bea that he broke up with Rebeca Ramos because the one he truly loved was her. He explains that he even went as far as asking the architecture firm to allow Bea to return, and let her showcase more of her talent in future projects. Bea decides to return to Barcelona, and give her relationship and job a second chance.
Soon after, the family is once again reunited after Bea’s mother unexpectedly passes away from a heart attack. After the funerary service, Fin decides to play Yes Sir, I Can Boogie by Baccara, a song that was dear to them all because it had gotten them through tough times. And so, as they had done many times before, they began to dance, with no regard to who might be watching, or what people could be thinking. Before her passing, Bea’s mother left letters to each of her children and her grandson. To Fin, she wrote that even death wasn’t that big of a deal, and that she wished for him to start living. To Bea, she wrote: “Throughout the years, you’ll meet a lot of people. People who come and go. But, there are some that you’ll want to keep by your side forever… don’t leave them.”
The execution of the film was amazing. Although the mother’s character throughout the movie was more of a comedic relief, the message she carried is something I believe most people should hear more often. The letters for her children were personal to each of them, and yet they shared one similarity: sometimes what we think is best for ourselves is what ails us the most. It is okay to let go if it will in turn bring us unexpected happiness. Sometimes we fight too hard for something that isn’t meant for us. I thought that it was clever to tell Fin that death doesn’t really matter, so he could start living. Since he was a nihilist, she wanted to show him that there is indeed meaning to life since there is none to death. Though I have watched the film a handful of times before, it wasn’t until this last time I saw it that I realized that it was Fin who played Yes Sir, I Can Boogie after the funerary service. Despite his nihilistic personality, he knew his grandmother wouldn’t want her loved ones to mourn her. He saw a meaning in playing a song, it was the most honest way to honor the woman she had been. Bea’s mother had once said that there are gente que viene y bah, a phrase that Bea only came to understand after her mother’s passing. She realized that some people would only be transient, and that those who she might least expect, might be the ones to stay.
I cannot begin to explain how much I enjoy watching this movie. From quirky characters, to effortless jokes, to a great song that shows that even through hardships there is always time and a reason to live a little. The actors in the film had great chemistry which is essential to recreate the warmth of a family. It is a lighthearted and feel-good film. It is the type of movie that I will definitely be watching at least once a month. This film is a 10/10 for me!
